Following Thursday night is 42-34 victory over the New Orleans Saints, which ended a streak of eight consecutive losses in Arizona, both head coach Kliff Kingsbury and quarterback Kyler Murray played down a heated exchange caught on camera in the second quarter.
With 2:32 remaining in the second quarter, Arizona called a timeout to reset its next play, and cameras caught Murray walking to the sideline while repeatedly mouthing “Calm the f—- down” to Kingsbury.
We Couldn’t Implement Our Plan
With time running out, “we couldn’t have gotten off the play that we were trying to run,” as Murray put it. “Okay, I take responsibility for that then. Yes, please!”
As Murray approached the sideline, he continued to argue with Kingsbury, prompting wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins to step in and mediate.
Sometimes, he gets animated over there on the sidelines, Murray remarked.
Murray denied that Kingsbury was shouting in his ear via the headset in his helmet. Murray said, “I just see the antics.”
Kingsbury attempted to lighten the mood by characterizing the conflict as a “difference of opinion.” He commented that “I didn’t look good on TV acting that fiery,” to which Kingsbury responded with a joke. “I dunno, chalk it up to the millennial generation.
You’re going to be on TV, so chill out.” Feelings are fun to express.” When asked how Kingsbury usually is, Murray said, “usually chill until Sunday.”
Eno Benjamin, who had a career-high 92 yards rushing, and rookie running back Keaontay Ingram, who scored from the 2, combined to tie the game at 14.
We are good, Murray proclaimed. “We promise to fix the situation. That turned out well because we scored. That is all I was saying, though, so relax ” The thought of it does not bother me, and I doubt it bothers him either. All we care about is coming out on top.
Just in time for this moment of action. Then everything will be fine.” As Hopkins put it: “These two competitors share a common goal. Seeing that always makes my day.
Being on a team with two people who are both so committed to winning is great, even though it guarantees some disagreements. I haven’t been married myself, but that sounds very much like a wedding to me.”
That Goal Started an Unstoppable Surge
That score kicked off a run of 102 consecutive seconds that decided the outcome of the game. Before halftime, the Cardinals had taken a 14-point lead after intercepting Andy Dalton twice in a row and scoring each time.
After wide receiver Marquez Callaway bobbled the ball, cornerback Marco Wilson snatched it off the air.
He took the ball and scored a touchdown after returning it 38 yards. On the Saints’ second offensive series, Cardinals linebacker Isaiah Simmons made a one-handed interception of Dalton and raced 56 yards for a score.
That was directed at “everyone out there who thought I can’t catch,” Simmons said. “That one-handed there, recalling my coach’s play-call instructions. To be able to appropriately implement what he has been stressing is a great feeling.
I knew [Chris] Olave was quick as heck, but I thought he was on the opposite side of the field when I got it, so I figured I was fine to go.” Simmons’s goal came with 1 minute and 42 seconds left in the first half, giving the Cardinals a 28-14 advantage at the break.
Their 28 points were close to matching Arizona’s first-half total of 29 points in the team’s first six games this season.
Cornerback Antonio Hamilton, playing in only his second game after suffering second-degree burns on both feet in August, picked off Dalton in the end zone as time expired in the first quarter to give Arizona a 3-0 lead.
Hopkins was reinstated to the team on Thursday after missing the first six games of the season for a violation of the NFL’s rules on performance-enhancing drugs. As for the previous year, he missed the last five games with an MCL injury.
Hopkins played after 311 days and recorded 103 yards on 10 receptions and 14 targets in his first game back. This was his first multi-homer game since October 25, 2020, and his fourth overall as a Cardinal.
Finishing Line
Hopkins said that he had put in a lot of work throughout the summer to be ready for this moment. The fact that I was going to miss six games gave me a particularly innovative idea of what to expect.
The primary objective is a triumph. To put it another way, if we had won the game even if I had only caught 10 passes for 10 yards, I would still be extremely [delighted].
With their victory on Thursday, the Cardinals ended a winless streak at home that lasted 361 days, a statistic that manager Andy Murray described as “insane.” Thanks to 42 points, they finally broke their losing run.
That is the most points they have scored since Week 17 of the 2016 season, and the highest under Kingsbury, who was hired in 2019. Pumped for the lads, Kingsbury remarked.
“I believe it came at a good moment,” the analyst said, “because it’s something they’ve had to answer for a long time and, in particular, to do it coming off a couple of defeats and heading into a longer time off for the game.”
