Arizona Cardinals

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray downplayed any issues with head coach Kliff Kingsbury following a heated sideline interaction during Thursday's 42-34 win over the New Orleans Saints.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Murray explained his reaction was prompted by Kingsbury's animated behavior.

"It was just in the moment and after that, we’re all good," Murray said.

The incident occurred with 2:32 remaining in the second quarter when Murray called a timeout with the play clock winding down. Television cameras showed him mouthing "calm the f--k down" to Kingsbury as he was walking to the sideline.

"The clock was running down and we couldn't have got off the play that we were trying to run," Murray told reporters. "So, it was, I guess it's my fault. I'll take it."

Kingsbury joked after the game that Murray "said I didn't look good on TV acting that fiery."

Much has been made about the relationship between Murray and the Cardinals. After he signed a five-year, $230.5 million contract extension in July, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported the deal included a clause requiring the two-time Pro Bowler to complete four hours of independent study every week.

Amid backlash to the clause, the Cardinals announced on July 28 they were removing it from Murray's deal.

Things have been rough for the Cardinals since the season began. They averaged 19 points and 346 yards per game through the first six weeks. Their 2-4 record entering Week 7 was the worst in the NFC West.

Despite scoring 42 points against the Saints, Arizona's offense still didn't look like it did at its peak from the 2021 season. The unit managed just 326 total yards, with 14 points coming from the defense on two pick-sixes late in the first half.

Week 7 did mark the season debut for DeAndre Hopkins. The three-time All-Pro wide receiver was suspended for the first six games for violating the NFL's performance-enhancing drug policy.

Hopkins made his presence felt against the Saints with 103 yards on 10 receptions. He is only the second Arizona receiver to have at least 100 yards in a game this season (Marquise Brown in Week 3).

The Cardinals will have a couple of extra days off to prepare for their Week 8 showdown with the Minnesota Vikings on Oct. 30.

It turns out life with DeAndre Hopkins is a lot better than life without him for the Arizona Cardinals.

Arizona went 2-4 while he was suspended for six games for violating the NFL's performance-enhancing drug policy but defeated the New Orleans Saints in his return with a 42-34 victory in Thursday's NFC clash at State Farm Stadium.

The five-time Pro Bowler finished with 10 catches for 103 yards, but his impact went beyond the statistics. Whether he was drawing penalties, creating space for teammates or even putting his arm around Kyler Murray in an attempt to calm the quarterback down during a heated exchange with head coach Kliff Kingsbury, Hopkins made his presence felt.

He also impressed social media in the process:

Even with Hopkins' return, it seemed like more of the same for the Cardinals when they fell behind 14-6 after two early touchdown passes from Andy Dalton. But primetime Dalton giveth and primetime Dalton taketh away for his team, and he threw pick-sixes to Marco Wilson and Isaiah Simmons in the second quarter.

Just like that, the Cardinals were in control with a 28-14 halftime lead and never really looked back after intermission.

Second-half touchdowns from Greg Dortch and Eno Benjamin helped keep New Orleans at bay. While scores for Dortch, Benjamin and Keaontay Ingram may not be what fantasy managers wanted, it underscored Hopkins' ability to open things up for his teammates because of the attention he draws.

He will look to do more of that and perhaps find the end zone himself as the Cardinals hit the road to face the Minnesota Vikings.

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marquise Brown is expected to miss around six weeks after being diagnosed with a nonsurgical fracture in his foot, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

Brown was injured in Sunday's 19-9 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Monday the initial concern was he could be lost for the remainder of the 2022 NFL season.

The Cardinals already hedged their bets by acquiring Robbie Anderson from the Carolina Panthers.

The return of DeAndre Hopkins could help to offset the impact of Brown's injury as well. The five-time Pro Bowler is eligible to play in Week 7 against the New Orleans Saints after serving a six-game suspension for violating the NFL's performance-enhancing drug policy.

Still, losing its leading receiver is bound to hurt Arizona's passing game.

Brown caught 43 passes for 485 yards and three touchdowns through the team's first six games. Tight end Zach Ertz is second in receiving yards (299).

Even if Anderson, who's averaging 15.8 yards per reception, provides his intended effect as a downfield threat and Hopkins is his usual self, receiver depth will continue to be an issue for the Cardinals.

For Brown, the injury couldn't come at a much worse time because he's on pace to have a career year. His 80.8 receiving yards per game are nearly 20 more than his previous best (63.0 in 2021).

The 25-year-old is at least under contract for one more season after the Cardinals picked up his $13.4 million option for 2023. Regardless of what happens the rest of the way in 2022, he'll still have next year to rebuild his stock and parlay his performance into a lucrative long-term deal with Arizona or another team.

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marquise "Hollywood" Brown suffered a foot injury during Sunday's loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Brown, who told reporters initial X-rays were negative ahead of additional tests Monday, was seen in a walking boot following the game.

Brown started training camp on the active non-football injury list with a hamstring ailment and didn't return until being activated on Aug. 2.

He entered Sunday's game with 38 catches for 417 yards and three touchdowns on the season.

The Cardinals acquired Brown in a trade with the Baltimore Ravens during the first round of the 2022 NFL draft. He was slated to be one of Kyler Murray's top targets alongside Rondale Moore and A.J. Green to start the season.

Veteran wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins is expected to lead that group once he's eligible to return from his six-game suspension for violating the NFL's performance-enhancing drug policy.

He can take the field for Thursday's game against the New Orleans Saints.

Before being traded to Arizona, Brown had been one of Baltimore's top receivers since being selected in the first round of the 2019 draft out of Oklahoma. During the 2021 campaign, he caught a career-high 91 passes for 1,008 yards and six touchdowns in 16 games.

In 46 games across three seasons with the Ravens, Brown caught 195 passes for 2,361 yards and 21 touchdowns.

Kyler Murray's Madden awareness rating is probably going to take a big hit this week.

The Arizona Cardinals quarterback made two mental gaffes late in Sunday's 20-17 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles that arguably cost his team the game.

Driving late in the fourth quarter with zero timeouts, Murray scrambled out of the pocket and ran for about 9.5 yards before deciding to slide—leaving the Cardinals about a half-yard shy of a first down and facing 3rd-and-1.

Murray then rushed to the line of scrimmage and spiked the ball with 22 seconds left rather than running a play, forcing Arizona into a game-tying field goal attempt. Matt Ammendola then missed the 43-yard attempt to give the Cardinals their third home loss in as many games.

You'll be surprised to find out that people on social media were not particularly kind about the final sequence of plays.

In fairness to Murray, it's worth noting the stadium scoreboard indicated the Cardinals had gotten the first down. It's possible Murray believed he had gotten enough yardage to move the chains.

That said, the stadium scoreboard is not the official measurement. It's on Murray to look to the official marker on the sidelines and to have enough field awareness to know the down and distance.

It's equally worth noting the Cardinals would not have been in that situation in the first place had Murray taken an extra two steps and been willing to take a hit to ensure the first down. Murray should have had 100 percent awareness of the exact yard line he needed to reach; stopping a half-yard short is inexcusable.

Compounding that by not double-checking the down and distance ahead of the spike is the type of moment that can fundamentally alter a team's season.

The Arizona Cardinals lost offensive guard Will Hernandez to an ejection in the second half of Sunday's game against the Carolina Panthers.

As Joe Person of The Athletic noted, Panthers linebacker Frankie Luvu body slammed Cardinals running back James Conner following a run. While Luvu was flagged for the play, it prompted a scuffle between the two teams.

Hernandez ran over to get involved but made contact with an official's back in the process and was ejected as a result.

Not only was Hernandez ejected, the contact with an official drew a flag and nullified the one that went against Luvu.

Sean Harlow entered the game for Hernandez.

Fortunately for the Cardinals, the drive still ended in points with Matt Prater drilling a go-ahead field goal. The visitors then extended their lead to double digits in the fourth quarter when Kyler Murray scored on a touchdown run shortly after Baker Mayfield threw an interception deep in Carolina territory.

Hernandez was a second-round pick of the New York Giants in 2018, and he spent his first four seasons with the NFC East team. Arizona signed him to a one-year deal this past offseason, and he started the club's first four games of the season.

The UTEP product earned a Pro Football Focus overall player grade of 55.9 last season for the Giants.

Next up for the Cardinals is a showdown with the league's only undefeated team in the Philadelphia Eagles, so any type of suspension or discipline for Hernandez could make that game even more difficult.

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver A.J. Green has been ruled out of Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Rams after suffering a knee injury.

Green was targeted twice on Sunday but had no catches prior to exiting. It was just the latest quiet outing for the veteran, who has just five receptions for 29 yards through the first three weeks.

Green joined Arizona prior to the 2021 season and re-signed with the team on a one-year deal this offseason.

In 16 games last year, Green finished with 54 catches for 848 yards and three touchdowns. It was his most receptions and receiving yards in four years.

The Cincinnati Bengals selected Green fourth overall in the 2011 draft. He went on to become one of the most productive receivers in the NFL, earning seven straight Pro Bowl selections from 2011-17.

The injury bug bit Green in the next two years. He was limited to nine games in 2018 because of a toe injury. He suffered torn ligaments in his ankle in training camp prior to the 2019 season, and he was forced to sit out the entire year.

Green returned to play the entire 2020 season, but his production dwindled with 47 receptions for 523 yards and two touchdowns. When Green left Cincinnati, he ranked second in franchise history in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns behind only Chad Johnson.

With Green out of the lineup, Arizona is thin at receiver. Perennial Pro Bowler DeAndre Hopkins is still out after being suspended for the first six games of the season. Marquise Brown, among others, will have to pick up the slack in the passing game along with veteran tight end Zach Ertz.

Arizona Cardinals star Kyler Murray is willing to extend an olive branch to the Las Vegas Raiders fan who allegedly struck him in the face following Arizona's 29-23 victory Sunday.

"No hard feelings. If I see him, I’d shake his hand," Murray told reporters.

The Cardinals quarterback added it was "a live game."

Las Vegas police said Monday they were looking into the matter and confirmed authorities received a battery complaint.

Cameron Cox of 12 News shared a clip of Byron Murphy Jr. scoring the game-winning touchdown in overtime and Arizona's subsequent celebration. At one point, Murray runs toward a field-level suite to high-five fans. One fan appears to swipe his hand at Murray's face.

Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury didn't mince words in the immediate aftermath.

"I think the guy is a low-life, whoever did it," he told reporters. "I hope they arrest him and he gets fired and he never can go to another game."

Following Murray's comments, the matter may be settled for the most part pending the outcome of the police investigation. It could be a while before the two-time Pro Bowler is back at Allegiant Stadium as well.

The Cardinals aren't scheduled to play the Raiders again until 2026, and that will be a home game for Arizona. A meeting could happen as early as 2024, but it would also be at State Farm Stadium if the teams are paired up.

Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury admits his team must get off to better starts after a pair of lackluster first-half performances over the first two weeks.

"I think collectively we've just got to start faster," Kingsbury told reporters Monday.

Arizona fell behind the Kansas City Chiefs 23-7 at halftime and 37-7 after three quarters en route to a 44-21 Week 1 loss.

On Sunday, the Las Vegas Raiders led 20-0 at halftime. However, quarterback Kyler Murray engineered a tremendous comeback that resulted in a 29-23 overtime win.

Arizona scored the final 22 points of the game as Murray accounted for 277 passing yards, 28 rushing yards, two touchdowns (one passing, one rushing) and a pair of two-point conversions.

Kingsbury said he has to put the offense in a better position to succeed off the bat but noted his quarterback's ability to take over games and save the day, though he'd prefer to see Murray do so from the start of games.

"I'd love to see it from the start every week," Kingsbury said. "I think that's the ability and the talent that he has, and I've got to do a better job of getting our offense off to a quicker start, there's no doubt. But we've seen him do that before, and he can make it go when he wants to."

The Cardinals have been short-handed on offense without wide receivers DeAndre Hopkins (suspension) and Rondale Moore (injury), but Murray still led the team to a second-half performance good enough to overcome a 20-point deficit. Arizona will look to ride that momentum into a faster start Sunday when it hosts the Los Angeles Rams.