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The Arizona Cardinals are getting set for an inter-conference matchup against the Houston Texans. Arizona will be getting set to face rookie phenom C.J. Stroud, who has been hard to stop the past two weeks. Before the game, we'll be making our Cardinals Week 11 predictions.
Arizona showed some fight again last week in their 25-23 win over the Atlanta Falcons, just their second win of the year. Of course, the Cardinals were thrilled to have Kyler Murray back for the first time all year coming off his torn ACL injury. In his return, Murray completed 19-32 passes for 243 yards and an interception. While the stats don't look great, he also had a rushing touchdown and more importantly got Arizona another win. Aside from his stats, Murray's rushing and playmaking ability is a huge addition for the Cardinals offense.
However, they face an even greater challenge ahead. It was one thing for the Cardinals to beat the Falcons, but now they'll have the challenge of facing the Texans and red-hot quarterback C.J. Stroud. Stroud has been nothing short of prolific the past two weeks as he's thrown for 835 yards and six touchdowns while getting wins against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Cincinnati Bengals. What will bode well for Arizona is their 11th ranked pass defense is ranked better than both the Bengals and Buccaneers. If they can limit Stroud, they'll have a good shot at pulling off the upset.
With a win over the Texans, the Cardinals will shock Houston and C.J. Stroud. More importantly, they may hurt their chances at the top pick in the draft and consider sticking with Murray at quarterback. With that in mind, let's check out our Cardinals Week 11 predictions.
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Kyler Murray rushes for 75+ yards
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A huge part of Murray's game is his legs. While fans were unsure how much of Murray's rushing they would see in his first game back from a major knee injury, he showed some of his mobility when he ran six times for 33 yards and a touchdown. His ability to use his legs was a great sign for Cardinals fans, who may not have known what quarterback they'd be getting back after such a serious knee injury. Now that Murray is a game in and feels more comfortable, expect him to continue taking off to get first downs and create plays for the offense. Whether it's been Josh Dobbs or now Kyler, a running quarterback has been a big part of the Arizona offense all year.
RB James Conner runs for two touchdowns
The Cardinals didn't just get the return of Murray versus the Falcons, but running back James Conner as well. Prior to his return, Conner missed four games while dealing with a knee injury that got him placed on Injured Reserve. In his return, he had 16 carries for 73 yards. Though he didn't score, Conner became known as one of the top scoring backs the last few years, particularly after he had 18 total touchdowns in 2021. While he's now a couple years removed from that, he has the opportunity to return to his high-scoring ways against the Texans. Houston has improved significantly defending against the run this year, but if Conner gets a couple opportunities near the goal line, count on him to score.
Cardinals TE Trey McBride puts up second straight 100 receiving game
Murray shared a great connection with second-year tight end Trey McBride in his first game back. McBride had his first 100-year receiving game as he caught eight of nine targets for 131 yards while leading Arizona in receiving. McBride has come on strong this season lately, putting up 95 yards against Baltimore a couple weeks ago. With Murray back, expect McBride to continue putting up bigger numbers with the former No. 1 overall pick throwing to him.
