Bragging rights were there for the taking, and bragging rights were won.
Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals beat Baker Mayfield and the Cleveland Browns handily, 38-24, snapping a six-game skid.
The former Oklahoma teammates played together in 2017 with Mayfield leading the Sooners to the 2017 College Football Playoff and Rose Bowl game while Murray waited in the wings. Murray followed suit of his predecessor—the 2018 Oklahoma team went to the 2018 College Football Playoff and made an Orange Bowl appearance.
Both won the Heisman Trophy in their respected seasons and went on to become No. 1 overall picks in their NFL Drafts.
In Sunday’s game, Murray and the Cardinals jumped out to an early 14-0 lead. Arizona’s signal-caller had an electric 35-yard run on the team’s second scoring drive to help the cause.
Mayfield and the Browns battled back to make it a 14-10 game midway through the second-quarter, but then were outscored 24-7 until the waning moments of the game when Mayfield found a Cleveland receiver for a touchdown.
During the third-quarter of the game, Murray set the Arizona Cardinals’ franchise record for rushing yards by a quarterback (501) on a five-yard run up the middle.
Murray had a solid outing on Sunday, going 19-for-25 through the air for 219 yards and a touchdown, but also added 56 yards with his feet. Mayfield went 30-for-43 for 247 passing yards and two touchdowns.
Both quarterbacks threw an interception.
Sunday’s matchup between the two college teammates and former No. 1 overall picks was the first such matchup since 1984 (Stanford’s John Elway, Jim Plunkett).
Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray will be the first pair of QB from the same school AND taken #1 overall to face each other in the @NFL since Stanford’s John Elway and Jim Plunkett in Week 5, 1984.
— Andrew Siciliano (@AndrewSiciliano) December 15, 2019
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