A phenomenal day of football on Sunday was capped off by the most thrilling game of the night, where Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals were able to defeat Russell Wilson and the previously-undefeated Seattle Seahawks.
By a score of 37-34 in overtime, the Cardinals won on a Zane Gonzalez 48-yard kick after Russell Wilson threw his third interception of the night. This came after only previously recording three total the previous five games. The Seahawks now sit at 5-1 on the season, with the Cardinals at 5-2, making for a fascinating race in the NFC West Division.
The game was full of theatrics, most notably when Seahawks receiver D.K. Metcalf chased down Cardinals safety Budda Baker on what would have been a 95-plus yard pick-six. The Cardinals did not score on that drive, meaning Metcalf’s hustle saved his team at least six points. Also notable was the Seahawks’ Tyler Lockett recording 15 receptions for 200 total yards and 3 touchdowns on the night. The speedy wideout has proven he is one of the best deep-threats in the league this season.
But ultimately, the game came down to the near-unstoppable tandem of Kyler Murray and DeAndre Hopkins, and the Cardinals defense making plays. A win like Sunday night’s against the créme de la créme of the NFC does wonders for a young team’s confidence. There should be no reason why the Cardinals shouldn’t feel like they can beat anyone.
The elegant and explosive defensive plays of the night might have been the reason for the scoreboard not surpassing 100, and ultimate Cardinals victory, but the game underscored another beautiful thing about the NFL in 2020.
In a time in the league where mobile quarterbacks are wreaking havoc more than ever before, the NFC West has two of the best in the game. Both undersized quarterbacks with great arms, shifty feet, and formidable intangibles, Russell Wilson and Kyler Murray will be battling against one another for years to come.
One a seasoned veteran looking to add to his legacy, the other an energetic youngster looking to show he belongs among the quarterback elite, these two guys create some of the most beautiful football the league has to offer. And that fun was on full display Sunday night.
Wilson, the MVP-frontrunner, tallied 388 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions on the night, while Murray had
360 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. On the season, the Seahawks star has 1890 yards, 22 touchdowns, and six interceptions. Only six games through the season, those are gaudy numbers for the 31-year-old, searching for his first regular season MVP.
Murray on the season (in one more game than Wilson) has put up a total of 1847 yards, 13 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. Just in his second year, Murray simply appears more confident out on the field, and with quite possibly the best receiver in the game on his team every night in Hopkins, he has every reason to be.
Sunday night was a dazzling spectacle, and it was because two high-quality teams gave everything they had. The beauty beyond the night, once the game clock struck zero, is in knowing that that game wasn’t an anomaly, and we’re going to be treated to games like that for years to come.
Is Kyler Murray the second coming of Russell Wilson? It’s impossible to know for sure. But he is the coming of Kyler Murray, a player the likes of which we have never before seen.