Eric Williams
NFL Reporter
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — On his team’s second offensive play of the game, Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray let the San Francisco 49ers know what kind of day was in store.
The fleet-footed quarterback kept it himself on a zone read, darting 50 yards for the longest run in his career. But about 40 yards from the end zone, Murray threw up the “peace” sign to let Arizona defenders know no one was catching him.
“I didn’t know what [was happening] — if he was celebrating early or what he was doing,” said Cardinals running back James Conner, who bludgeoned the 49ers for 86 rushing yards of his own. “But I was like, ‘Score.’ And that’s what he did. He’s fast enough to do that.”
Murray knew very early on in the run that he was going to score.
“I knew once Elijah [TE Elijah Higgins] got the block and I cleared those two dudes, I was gone,” Murray said. “There’s not that many times you can do that in the NFL. So to be able to finally hit a long run was good.”
According to Next Gen Stats, Murray reached a speed of 21.27 mph on the play, the fastest speed by a quarterback over the past eight seasons. The QB’s speed literally had Brady oohing and aahing on the FOX broadcast.
The Cardinals played with the kind of swagger and bravado Murray showed on that tone-setting play, fighting back from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter to earn an impressive 24-23 victory over last season’s Super Bowl runners-up.
According to FOX Sports Research, it’s the first time under Kyle Shanahan that the 49ers lost after holding a double-digit lead in the final quarter, breaking a 38-0 record.
Murray was the catalyst, completing 19 of 30 passes for 195 yards and a touchdown, along with running for another 83 yards and a score. For his effort, Murray received the Tom Brady LFG Player of the Game.
After remarking about Murry’s blistering speed, Brady told the QB: “Keep being that great leader that you…
Source link : https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/tom-brady-lfg-player-game-kyler-murray-embodies-cardinals-swagger
Author :
Publish date : 2024-10-07 02:16:57
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
