Kyler Murray of the Cardinals is one step closer to a full recovery

Is quarterback Kyler Murray of the Arizona Cardinals truly playing this week against the Baltimore Ravens for the first time since December of last year?

That, my friends, has been the most intriguing question surrounding the Cardinals in Week 8, especially now that the quarterback has had an additional week of practice.

Murray is closer than he was a week ago, despite the fact that the QB is officially labeled as doubtful for the game according to Friday’s injury report, probably indicating he isn’t quite ready to take over under center.

In contrast to his poor performance in Week 7 before finally being declared out, the team quarterback played the entire game on Wednesday and did not have an injury designation the next two days before his dubious classification.

Murray continued to work during the open portion of practice each week with just members of the practice squad, despite the update. It is unclear how much time he spent with the first team, but it doesn’t mean he wasn’t working with them.

In the meantime, Jonathan Gannon is being mum over the quarterback’s possible availability, despite declaring Murray to be totally healthy and pleased with the signal caller’s performance after two weeks of practice.

Before Friday’s practice, Gannon said, “The ball jumps off of his hand, he’s explosive getting out of the pocket, he’s accurate, got good command of the offense right now, and he threads the needle pretty well on some certain throws.”

As far as his mental health?

“Excellent, excellent,” Gannon said of Murray’s headspace. “He’s doing great.”

Since the new regime arrived to the desert, it’s always been when Murray is “physically and mentally ready to play.”

I’m not sure about you, but it appears like those boxes are now checked. It remains to be seen, though, until Murray is activated off the list of people who are physically unable to perform, which doesn’t appear to be the case this week.

Lamar

Arizona’s dual-threat quarterback, Lamar Jackson, is expected to start on Sunday, but the same cannot be said for Baltimore, which will start 2019 MVP Lamar Jackson.

This season, Arizona has had some difficult quarterback tests, but none compare to what Jackson offers.

“They have an excellent football team. It’s impressive how well Lamar Jackson is able to get the ball out, whether it’s through short, intermediate, or even long passes. He’s the kind of guy who can get out of a tight spot. He’s getting twenty yards in the span of a single glance. For us, it’s undoubtedly a significant task.

Jackson has completed a career-high 71% of his passes for 1,610 yards and eight touchdowns to just three interceptions, helping to lead his club to a 5-2 record. With five rushing touchdowns and 363 yards gained on 69 carries, he is well on his way to surpassing the previous record. He is averaging a respectable 5.3 yards per try.

Jackson’s ability to pass to Odell Beckham Jr., Mark Andrews, Zay Flowers, Nelson Agholor, and Rashod Bateman is also helpful.

The Cardinals defense’s main goal is to restrict Jackson’s explosive plays both on the ground and in the air while making Baltimore as one-dimensional as possible.

For the offense, it’s about reducing Jackson’s time on the field altogether.

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Joshua Dobbs stated on Wednesday, “I have a lot of respect for him and his game.” Being in Pittsburgh, we obviously faced him twice a year, so it was interesting to observe his development over the course of his NFL career and the great caliber of play he is exhibiting.

“As an offense, it is our responsibility to keep this player off the field as much as possible. We are aware of the kind of playmaker who will be visiting Arizona this week. Hold the ball, make critical third-down plays, and remain on the field.

Sack attack

It doesn’t take much to discover that the Ravens are the best in the league at pass rushing.

With one more game played than the Buffalo Bills, Baltimore leads the NFL in sack total through seven games.

With 5.5 sacks, defensive lineman Justin Madubuike leads the Ravens in this category. Nevertheless, he is by no means the only one—four other players have already recorded at least three sacks in 2023. There are twelve players on the team that have at least one sack.

And against a weaker Seattle Seahawks defense, where Dobbs was brought down four times in a game high, the offensive line will have its hands full on Sunday.

Cardinals offensive line coach Klayton Adams stated on Friday, “I think they play a pretty selfless defense and they bring them from all over the place.” “They’re very well coached and have a very challenging scheme.”

Additionally, they are particularly frugal when it matters most.

Adams continued, “Even going back the last 12 years, their pressure packages on third down have been relatively exotic.” They come from all over, they switch up the packages every week, they alter the routine of who rushes, they give it a quick glance, they create a tendency, and then they break it.

“They’re doing an excellent job of self-scouting and self-regulating, which makes it slightly more difficult to find patterns when you’re game planning.”

Baltimore’s output may be greatly reduced by making quick passes and a determined attempt to run the ball early on.