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Kyler Murray is beginning to show why he went No. 1 overall. Last week, against the Atlanta Falcons, the Arizona Cardinals quarterback threw for 340 yards and three touchdowns on a 73% completion rate to earn back-to-back wins for the first time of his career. Now, he gets the opportunity to show why he is the best quarterback in the 2019 class.
Daniel Jones, the No. 6 overall pick, and the New York Giants are Murray's next task of defeating on Sunday. Luckily, the Giants' porous secondary will allow him the opportunity to feast in the rookie showdown.
Only the Buccaneers are worse than the Giants in passing yards allowed per game. Quarterbacks are averaging 285 yards per against New York.
Though the Giants can get to quarterbacks — 16 sacks, 13th in the NFL — they can't contain them over the air. New York is allowing a 103.0 passer rating (26th) to quarterbacks and the 10th most touchdowns (10) on the year.
That is music to Murray and coach Kliff Kingsbury's ears. Last week, the pass-heavy offense won in a shootout over a struggling Falcons pass defense and they did the same against a Bengals team that can't stop the pass. It's simple — a pass-first coach will toast a defense that can't defend the pass.
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Who would have thought?
If the Giants find a way to contain Arizona's Air Raid, they will have to deal with Murray's natural running ability. The rookie is third in the NFL in quarterback rushing attempts (39), third in yards (238) and fifth in touchdowns (two). The Giants don't — statistically — have problems defending dual-threat quarterbacks, but they haven't seen a talent like Murray yet.
Murray may be in line for a big game due to New York's defense, but his own defense may play a big part in his performance. While the Giants can't defend the pass, the Cardinals can't either. However, that may change on Sunday with the re-addition of perennial Pro-Bowl cornerback Patrick Peterson.
Murray vs. Jones has the opportunity to turn into a shootout between promising quarterbacks against bad defenses. The big if for Murray is protection. If the Cardinals can't keep his pocket clean against the best pass rush they've seen in three weeks, then everything said is scratched. However, if they do, he is undoubtedly in line for a big-time performance on Sunday.
