Kyler Murray got crushed on the second drive of Thursday night’s game, getting squished by L.J. Collier and Carlos Dunlap into the turf, with the latter falling directly on his throwing shoulder. Murray was never the same in the 28-21 loss to Seattle.
The Arizona Cardinals quarterback never exited the game, but repeated sideline shots showed Murray wincing in pain and trying to keep the sore shoulder loose, particularly in the first half.
The Seahawks didn’t register a QB hit in the first meeting between the division rivals. Thursday night, Seattle ensured things would be different from the start.
“They definitely played for me in certain situations but like I said, we put up 21, had a chance to win the game at the end, but throughout the game, we started slow and kept shooting ourselves in the foot,” Murray said, via the Associated Press.
Led by Dunlap, who sealed the game with his second sack of the night, Seattle compiled seven QB hits and three sacks.
Murray insisted after the game that his shoulder felt fine, saying, “I’m good.”
More than just battering the 5-foot-10 QB, Seattle didn’t allow Murray to do damage with his legs. Leading all signal-callers in rushing yards entering the game, the QB scampered just five times for 15 yards. Whether the shoulder injury adjusted Kliff Kingsbury’s play-calling, Murray was more hesitant to run, or the Seahawks D never allowed the opportunity, it’s the first time this season the speedy QB didn’t get loose on the ground. Murray snapped a streak of five straight games with a rushing score.
