TEMPE — There’s no denying the obvious. Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray is playing at an elite level with his team in a position for the postseason.
There’s a reason why he’s been thrown into the MVP conversation and sports the seventh-best odds as of Wednesday, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
But what has been the biggest factor at play when it comes to Murray’s reemergence as one of the top signal callers in the league?
Ask Murray, head coach Jonathan Gannon or offensive coordinator Drew Petzing what they’ve been most impressed with by his play and one answer rules supreme:
Ball security.
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“Taking care of the football is something that’s kind of a non-negotiable. It’s something you have to do when you play this position,” Murray said Wednesday. “You want to play it at a high level. (If) you want to be who you want to be in this league and go where you want to go, you have to take care of the football. I understand that if I’m giving the ball away, I’m putting my team at a disadvantage.”
“It’s understanding kind of when to take shots, when not to, the flow of the game and who we are as a team,” the quarterback added when asked if maturity played a part in his improved decision-making. “All of that goes into it.”
While he’s turned heads behind a 69.2% completion percentage for 2,058 yards and 12 touchdowns, equally as impactful has been his ability to keep the ball out of the defense’s hands with just three interceptions. That’s good for an interception percentage of 1.1%. Before this season, Murray hadn’t had anything lower than 1.8% (2022).
Of starting quarterbacks, only Los Angeles Chargers signal caller Justin Herbert has fewer picks this season with one.
If that trend keeps up across the final seven games, Murray would end the year right around five interceptions. That would be similar to what he did last year in an eight-game sample size.
“That goes into decision-making and accuracy,” Gannon said. “I think that’s a huge stat. … It just goes into him being smart with the football. He knows the ball is a winning stat. There are times he probably wants to thread it a little bit but understands when to pick and choose his spots.
“He’s phenomenal about knowing the bigger picture and what’s going on and why Drew’s calling things. Since we’ve been here, we’ve talked about it. He knows he has to protect the football. Not to say (turnovers) don’t happen, because you want him to make plays, too, but he’s smart and understands the value of the ball.”
Ball security tops the list when it comes to Murray’s effectiveness in 2024.
It’s not the only factor that’s leading to his upped play.
Kyler Murray’s football zen
What goes hand in hand with ball security?
Patience.
Despite being one of the quickest players in the game, Murray has done a great job of slowing things down.
“I think the timing and rhythm of his feet coupled with where his eyes are throughout the progression in the passing game. I think it’s been really impressive to see,” Petzing said Tuesday.
“There’s anticipation, there’s an understanding of when it’s not exactly the look that we talked about, but we did talk about other things (like) here’s where your next answers are. Getting to some of his checkdowns and knowing when it isn’t there and getting out of the pocket and not doing either too quickly has been really impressive.”
Instead of potentially taking it himself when things start to break down in the pocket, Murray has been good about buying time and letting things develop, especially when they matter most.
When he is reaching at least 2.5 seconds in the pocket, he’s thrown for eight touchdowns with a passer rating of 110.4, per Pro Football Reference.
Both his scores (four) and rating (93.5), however, take a hit when operating with less than 2.5 seconds in the pocket.
That’s not to say he hasn’t been uber-effective. Murray has also rushed for 371 yards and four touchdowns on 46 carries. Murray’s 8.1 yards per carry is a career mark.
On the same page
Under the new regime, Murray seems like a different person.
He appears much more comfortable — enough to even start vlogging his life on a weekly basis — and happy with the accountability the front office and coaching staff have shown since they showed up in 2023.
A big part of that comes courtesy of Petzing and his offensive approach.
“I could tell right away, just the system that he was bringing in and understanding the offense that I was going to love it. Just because there’s really no gray area,” the quarterback said Wednesday. “He’s very attention-to-detail oriented. He coaches it well. He communicates with everybody well and he can relate to everyone.
“I think that’s why you see why we’re playing the way we’re playing. Playing fast, playing confident and not really out there thinking.”
But another piece to the puzzle has been getting the right mix of players in the locker room who are more focused on team success than personal accolades.
On the surface, that might not hold as much weight as the other factors at play this year. Listen to Murray talk about his fellow teammates or watch the camaraderie at practice or in the locker room, and there’s a genuine connection.
“He has every trait,” wide receiver Michael Wilson said Monday. “He can extend the play, he can throw on time, he’s got leadership qualities, he can check out of plays. His understanding of football is top-tier. When he plays, we have a chance to beat anybody when we’re playing that well.”