During their Week 2 win over the Carolina Panthers, there was a moment early in the 4th quarter when the Arizona Cardinals offense had the ball near midfield. It was 1st and 10 and at that point, the Cards were in complete control of the game. Quarterback Kyler Murray took the snap and, well, why don’t I just show you what he did?
“Holy s***, Houdini,” was just about all that Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon could muster as the pint-sized Kyler Murray somehow escaped from the pocket as multiple Panthers defenders closed in for a sack. Murray then bolted into the open field and rushed for 30 yards on the play, pushing Arizona into the red zone where, oh-so-fittingly, he would go on to throw an interception that kept Carolina in the game.
This one drive was the perfect microcosm of the Kyler Murray experience. A tragic conclusion was preceded by a play that a short list of quarterbacks who have ever stepped on the gridiron could’ve made, and it’s those sort of plays that make Murray such a handful to gameplan against. Just ask San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh.
Does Kyler Murray Have Robert Saleh’s Number?
During his first tenure as the defensive coordinator of the San Francisco 49ers, Robert Saleh’s defenses were among the best in the NFL. But against Kyler Murray, then just a youngster in the early days of his time with the Arizona Cardinals, the 49ers were vulnerable to what makes Murray such a dynamic player.
In those four games in 2019 and 2020, Murray averaged 66.7 rushing yards per game and scored two touchdowns on the ground. That’s in addition to completing 66% of his passes for an average of 217 yards per game. The 49ers were 3-1 in those games, but Murray’s ability to give Saleh’s defense fits in the past has surely played a role in how San Francisco is game planning for him this time around.
“He’s slippery,” 49ers linebacker Fred Warner said of Murray, per Kyle Posey of Niners Nation. “Kyler is always a really tough player to go against, one of the best in this league. I think the thing with Kyler, obviously, is his legs, the ability to make the off-schedule plays. That’s always kind of given us fits, him using his legs.”
In fairness to the 49ers, it’s not just San Francisco’s defense that Kyler Murray’s legs have caused problems for. Murray is one of just 15 quarterbacks in NFL history with at least 3,000 yards rushing, and he’s the only QB on that list with fewer than 600 carries in his pro career. Murray’s 6.0 yards per carry is also the 4th-highest of that group, trailing only Michael Vick (7.0), Randall Cunningham (6.4) and Lamar Jackson (6.1).
So what’s the key to slowing down Kyler Murray? The 49ers are still trying to figure it out, but according to 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa, Robert Saleh might be onto something.
“Somebody said, be patient while rushing. And it is kind of counterintuitive when you’re rushing something, to be patient. He likes to bail back, he likes to spin out, so you just have to be aware,” Bosa said earlier in the week, according to Dan Dempster of NBC Sports Bay Area. “I’m excited about the plan this week and I think Saleh’s been good at it before, so he’s got some good tricks up his sleeve.”
So Robert Saleh has tricks up his sleeve and Kyler Murray is Houdini… what a magical game we have in store on Sunday afternoon.