The Arizona Cardinals defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 36-23 Friday night at Paycor Stadium to kick off their preseason. They scored five touchdowns, including three in the first half, all without the play of Kyler Murray.
Murray, though was involved, as he took over playcalling responsibilities in the fourth quarter.
It was fun to watch, but it didn’t lead to anything. The offense stalled when Murray had the headset on. They did not get a first down
There were three offensive possessions:
First series:
Quarterback Jarrett Guarantano completed a two-yard pass, threw an incompletion and was sacked.
Second series:
Undrafted rookie running back T.J. Pledger ran for eight yards. Guarantano threw a deep pass to Andy Isabella that was incomplete. They had a delay of game and then Guarantano scrambled two yards short of the line to gain.
Third series:
With the game in hand, the Cardinals were in victory formation and had two kneeldowns to close out the game.
It was a good way to give Murray something to do and to stay involved but, luckily, they won’t need him calling plays once the season starts. They need him making plays on the field.
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