Through four weeks, NFL Network analyst Brian Baldinger’s league MVP is Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray.
Baldinger reviewed Murray’s tape from the first four games on his web series “Baldy’s Breakdown” this past week.
“At the end of the first quarter of this season, the MVP of this league, for me, wears No. 1 for the Arizona Cardinals,” Baldinger said in the video. “In the last three wins, he’s completing almost 80% of his passes, playing flawless football. And the Cardinals, not only are the only undefeated team in the NFL, they might be the most exciting team in the NFL.”
The Cardinals lead the league in points and yards gained through four games, and Murray has the highest completion percentage in the NFL at 76.1%.
Baldinger went through some of the biggest plays of the young season, starting with Murray’s first touchdown pass to wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins. This was when Murray scrambled to his right and found Hopkins in the back of the end zone during the first quarter of Week 1 against the Tennessee Titans.
The analyst commented that Murray’s connection to Hopkins was expected. The veteran receiver led the team in catches by a vast margin last year, setting the franchise record with 115.
But, what caught Baldinger’s attention while going through the tape was how many Cardinals playmakers have made an impact.
The NFL analyst noted that the Cardinals needed four reliable receivers in their Air Raid offense, and Christian Kirk, A.J. Green, Rondale Moore and Hopkins give them just that.
The Cardinals have six players with at least 15 catches and 140 receiving yards, including tight end Maxx Williams and running back Chase Edmonds.
With Arizona’s balanced production, Baldinger said the Los Angeles Rams’ defense looked lost and spread out last Sunday.
Murray continues to make his acrobatic plays, scrambling to avoid defenders as seen last week when he picked up a first down on third-and-16.
But, Baldinger’s main point was that Murray is paring his own heroics with getting the most out of his weapons, something that has led to Arizona scoring 35 points per game.