Perhaps the most oft-cited quarterbacking sin is to never throw across your body. After Monday’s wild-card game between the Rams and Cardinals, perhaps a new cardinal rule will emerge: don’t throw no-look, hook-shot passes from your own end zone.
If that sounds hyper-specific, that’s because it’s exactly what Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray did during the second quarter. Facing a 3rd-and-7, Murray felt pressure coming from his blind side and absorbed a hit linebacker Troy Reeder, then flung the ball over his shoulder to try and avoid the safety. Unsurprisingly, the results were disastrous.
To that point, it had been a nightmarish start for the Cardinals offense. The unit failed to get a first down on any of its first five possessions, culminating with the pick-six. Things continued to spiral from there, as Murray threw another interception on Arizona’s following drive (though the Rams were unable to capitalize).
The Rams’ pass rush was relentless in the first half, sacking Murray twice and hitting him a total of four times. It was a marked turnaround from how Murray fared against Los Angeles during the regular season. In two games, the former No. 1 overall pick threw for a combined 651 yards and completed 69.1% of his pass attempts, adding 100 yards on the ground.
Murray had another strong season, making his second straight Pro Bowl and throwing for 3,787 yards and 24 touchdowns in 14 games. But given how the first half has gone, his playoff debut is one he’d likely want to forget.
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