This week, Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals will host the Los Angeles Rams at State Farm Stadium. Both teams are coming off Week 2 victories as they square off in this NFC West matchup. Here are our Kyler Murray Week 3 predictions as he takes on a confident Rams club.
The Cardinals have a new lease on life. That's after a remarkable comeback on the road against the Las Vegas Raiders. At halftime of that Week 2 game, it appeared like the Cardinals would have a disastrous season. Then, in the second half, they made a tremendous rally that culminated in their first win of the 2022 NFL season.
They now have an opportunity to get a W over a bitter NFC West rival and the reigning Super Bowl champions. If the Cardinals manage to survive the Rams in Week 3, that would be an even bigger statement than their Week 2 victory. Central to that, of course, is Arizona QB Kyler Murray.
With that said, here are our three bold predictions for Kyler Murray in the Cardinals' Week 3 matchup against the Rams.
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3. Kyler Murray gets sacked twice
When facing Aaron Donald, the Cardinals' offensive line is always a concern. They must hold up long enough for the receivers to take advantage of the reduced secondary. In addition to that, they must allow Kyler Murray enough time to locate the receivers and get away from Donald & Co.
Last week, the pass protection was great against one of the league's best edge-rushing tandems in Maxx Crosby and Chandler Jones. The big question is if they duplicate their performance this week.
For his part, Donald was quiet in Week 2. He had just two tackles with no sacks against the Atlanta Falcons. That's not to say the Rams' pass rush was ineffective. They actually sacked Marcus Mariota thrice thanks to Bobby Wagner, Justin Hollins, and Cobie Durant. That much firepower on the pass rush will be tough to contain for the Cardinals, which is why Murray will get sacked twice in this game.
2. Kyler Murray has one rushing touchdown
Kyler Murray's incredible running score with roughly eight minutes to go was one of the highlights of the Cardinals' dizzying fourth-quarter rally against the Raiders in Week 2. Murray extended the play way longer than most expected. And yet he had the composure to recognize an open lane to the end zone. That dual-threat ability is one of the things that makes him truly dangerous:
MURRAY MAGIC!!!!!!!!!@K1 X #BirdCityFootball pic.twitter.com/6lwMSQVP1r
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) September 18, 2022
Keep in mind as well that Murray has performed admirably as a running quarterback against the Rams. In fact, he averaged 7.7 yards per run against them in 2021. He didn't score a rushing TD last year against the Rams, but he will in this game.
1. Kyler Murray throws for over 280+ yards
Jalen Ramsey, the star cornerback for the Rams, will most likely have to do a lot of moving in Week 3. Outside of Ramsey, the Rams have a lot of questions. They've had many injuries to cornerback and safety, which Arizona will most certainly exploit. With much of the Rams' secondary depleted, the onus is on Ramsey to cover as much space as he can.
He and the rest of the Rams' defense will have a big challenge trying to contain Kyler Murray, especially after he led the Cardinals over the Raiders last week.
Recall that for more than seven quarters bridging Weeks 1 and 2, the Cardinals were the most disappointing team in the NFC. Murray then appeared, bobbing, whirling, and dancing away from evil on the most thrilling 2-point conversion in human history. Murray spent 20.8 seconds and 84.9 yards hunting for a viable target before electing to dance into the end zone on his own. He eventually dodged a fatigued three-man Raiders rush. It was the first stanza of a stunning comeback that preserved Arizona's season. It also reminded us of Murray's greatness, despite a drama-filled summer.
He'll attempt to build on that solid effort this week. He plays a Rams pass defense that has allowed 463 yards and five touchdowns through two weeks of play. Yes, the absence of his No. 1 wide receiver, DeAndre Hopkins, will be an additional challenge for Murray. Still, he should spread the wealth and find eager receivers to step up. The likes of Greg Dortch, Marquise Brown, and Zach Ertz should be ready and willing to be on the receiving end of Murray's lasers.
Again, the Rams' secondary has the NFL's sixth-worst pass defensive DVOA rating. This bodes really well for Kyler Murray's prospects to put up big numbers in Week 3. He had two touchdowns in each of the first two games and should add at least two more here. That kind of confidence in the pocket should translate into effective passing stats against a defense that can't stop allowing big plays via the air. In 2021, Murray also averaged more than 325 yards per game against the Rams. He probably won't get past 300 this time around, but put him up for at least 280.
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