Kyler Murray's return a mixed bag of results, but most important result is Cardinals' win

Kyler Murray's 2023 debut saw the Arizona Cardinals franchise quarterback show flashes of dynamic playmaking ability, with the fair-to-expect glitches of a quarterback who hasn't played in a game in 11 months and was plopped into a new scheme on offense that he can only master with more time.

Leave it to fate to have Murray's return come down to the wire, with the fifth-year pro forced into trying to lead the Cardinals on a scoring drive in the final 2 minutes, 33 seconds of the game, down by a point. Murray couldn't connect with Michael Wilson nor Rondale Moore, but electrified the crowd with a signature Murray-like scramble and burst of speed to convert a third-and-10.

And on an underthrown ball, Murray found his favorite target of the day, tight end Trey McBride, for 34 yards to put the Cardinals only a chip shot field away from win No. 2. Matt Prater converted with a 23-yard field goal, and Murray and his team walked off the field as happy winners, 25-23 over the Atlanta Falcons at State Farm Stadium.

"He's a guy who extends plays, third-and-long. He runs around for 80 yards and you know, he's a guy that just, you can never stop with him," McBride said. "He's a great player. I'm very excited to have him back. And I'm thankful that he gave me some opportunity today."

Murray finished the game 19 for 32 for 249 yards with an interception and a touchdown run. He added six carries for 33 yards.

"They scored the touchdown and in my head I was like, yeah, of course it sets up like this, you know, for us to go back down and score," Murray said. "And at that point, like you gotta make your mind up you know, There was a no quit, no quit, no quit in that group. And I think we showed that."

What started out well turned into a mixed bag of results that was enough for a victory, with Murray running for six, throwing accurately and moving well but also missing receivers, taking a penalty for delay of game and throwing a third quarter interception.

Murray at times looked a lot like the pre-knee injury and surgery Murray, connecting with tight McBride for eight completions and looking confident in his throws. But it was that late-game scramble that seemed to say "Kyler is back."

"At the end of the day, you know, if it comes down to me being in my hands, I gotta make something happen," Murray said. "I didn't see anything downfield so, honestly I thought they had a pretty good contain. But, you know, God blessed me to be able to do things like that. And that's kind of what happened for me."

The afternoon began with Murray being welcomed back to the field by the crowd as he was announced in starting lineup introductions.

"It was good. I just can't thank them enough. Can't thank the fans enough. I really felt all the support this week," Murray said. "Whether it was messages, or you know, just seeing people on the road, anywhere, a lot of love this week, and I appreciate it."

After a slant route pass for Brown went incomplete on Murray's first pass of the day, Murray had run to avoid pressure. It was certainly a significant moment for Murray, to see how his knee held up.

Murray looked more confident as the game wore on, and didn't appear nervous or apprehensive about anything. In his first game in 335 days, Murray looked nimble in avoiding the pass rush. He just missed good buddy Hollywood Brown for what would have been a touchdown in the second quarter, the ball off Brown's hands, but on that play opted to throw deep instead of hitting McBride for an easy first down.

That was as close to a mistake for Murray until the middle of the third quarter, when he threw well behind McBride and was intercepted by Atlanta's Nate Landman. Up to that point, Murray was 15 for 25 for 194 yards.

The interception came with Murray under center, which happened more than ahandful of times in the game. Murray was more effective out of the shotgun, but successful enough to win the game.

At times, he appeared to be walking slowly with a bit of a limp. Maybe it was just the general soreness of playing a full game for the first time in a while. But nothing ever appeared wrong with Murray when he dropped back, scrambled, or moved around in the pocket.

As the Prater field goal sailed through, the Cardinals didn't celebrate like they'd won the Super Bowl. Much like Murray's demeanor the whole game, they calmly congratulated each other and saluted the crowd.

"I thought I did a good job of not really letting the emotions and everything get to me throughout this week. Obviously, it's been a big week," Murray said. "But at the end of the day, just trying to come out here and get a win. That was the mindset."

Head coach Jonathan Gannon said he loves how Murray "doesn't ride the emotional roller coaster."

"I'm probably a little more emotional than he is. But yeah, that's it," Gannon said. "He believes that if you give him the ball, he's gonna win the game."

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Kyler Murray's return to Arizona Cardinals a win on field and on scoreboard