Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray went down early on Monday Night Football with a knee injury. And the early reports aren’t encouraging.
Long-time NFL/Cardinals reporter Mike Jurecki hears it is a torn ACL for Arizona’s QB1:
It looks like the non-contact injury came while Murray was trying to plant and cut on a run during the Cardinals’ first drive. You can check out the play here:
He was taken off the field on a cart and never came back into the game. We’ll probably get more after the game, if not on Tuesday (or later in the week).
This is obviously a significant injury on multiple levels. Firstly, Murray is one of the NFL’s most dynamic young quarterbacks. Frustrating as he might be to watch, Murray is entertaining when he punches in thanks to his unique skill set. That Murray suffered an injury that will likely keep him out for the rest of the year hurts the Cardinals and the NFL.
Now, there are other potential ramifications. For instance, the Cardinals could ultimately lose this game (in addition to losing Murray to injury). And an Arizona loss would have a major impact on the NFL Draft order. A Cardinals loss drops them to 4-10 and puts them in the mix for a top-5 spot in the 2023 NFL Draft. The Bears would still be ahead in the reverse standings. But it would add the Cards to the hodgepodge of teams the Bears should keep tabs on. More on this later.
UPDATE (1:25 p.m. CT): The news is as bad as feared. It’s a season-ending ACL injury for Kyler Murray.