Arizona Cardinals star quarterback Kyler Murray has never missed a game in his NFL career. That could change this Sunday.

Murray is officially listed as questionable for Week 9 against the San Francisco 49ers due to an ankle injury and the Cardinals hinted they will be cautious with their signal-caller. Via PFT:

“I know Kyler can play, he extremely tough, and I don’t think there are any questions in our organization internally about his mental makeup or his willingness to play through anything,” Cardinals GM Steve Keim said. “We have to be smart whether he is going to play or not and think about the big picture. We have to make sure we don’t re-aggravate something or do something that is going to hurt us later in the season. I know we will do the right thing and go through the checks and balances process and make sure the right decision is made.”

This Cardinals situation sounds similar to Dak Prescott last week. He was on the verge of playing for the Cowboys after recovering from a calf injury, but Dallas opted to give him another week's rest just for the sake of his longevity.

For Murray, it's not a necessity he suits up on Sunday. After all, Arizona is 7-1 and one of the best teams in the league. The Niners aren't exactly lighting it up right now, either. If Murray is sidelined, backup Colt McCoy will start in his place. Murray needs to be healthy in the long run if the Cardinals are going to make a Super Bowl run. Better safe than sorry.