Odegard: Cardinals Need Rushing Attack to Assist Kyler Murray

Welcome back, Kyler Murray.

Now save us.

That seems to be the underlying theme as the Cardinals fashion an ascent out of the NFL basement, beginning on Sunday against the Falcons.

An upper-tier quarterback is certainly the main ingredient to a turnaround, and it’s possible Murray makes a world of difference to a team that got off to a 1-8 start without him.

But even if Kyler conjures up the player of Hail Murray past, this coaching staff can’t make the same mistake as the last regime, which asked him to be Superman every week.

If you look at the Ravens and Eagles, they have a pair of uber-talented quarterbacks, but both organizations have made it their philosophy to dominate with rushing attacks that make defenses bend to their will.

Once that happens, Lamar Jackson and Jalen Hurts have a host of good options through the air, and it’s led to an abundance of success for quarterback and team.

For whatever reason, Kliff Kingsbury and Steve Keim never prioritized the running game after an impressive start in 2019, happy to use bubble screens as an extension of it, which quizzically took away the numbers advantage that Murray gives you in the backfield.

Here is a look at the Cardinals’ league-wide rushing efficiency rank in the four seasons under Kingsbury, which details a troubling trend.

• 2019: 2nd
• 2020: 17th
• 2021: 22nd
• 2022: 27th

Inexplicably, a team with a human joystick at quarterback was below average running the ball in every season after Murray’s rookie year, and bottom-11 each of the last two seasons.

Murray’s designed runs will likely be down the rest of this year as he returns from the torn ACL, but Arizona’s philosophy still must be rushing game creativity with deep shots off play-action, because that’s the long-term recipe for success.

Kingsbury never embraced it, preferring four wide for much of his tenure, but new offensive coordinator Drew Petzing was run-heavy last season in Cleveland and found early success doing the same thing in Arizona.

James Conner was one of the best running backs in the NFL before getting hurt, averaging 5.4 yards per carry and 72.8 yards per game through five weeks.

Arizona was shockingly efficient on offense during that span, even with backup quarterback Joshua Dobbs at the helm, but when the running game cratered, so, too did the offense. 

After sitting top-10 in offensive DVOA after the first month of the season, the Cardinals are now No. 27.

Clayton Tune was terrible on Sunday against the Browns, but the running backs were of no help, combining for only 13 rushing yards on 16 attempts.

The offensive line is banged up heading into the Falcons game, and following some massive struggles against Cleveland, the group is now ranked worst in the NFL in run-blocking, according to an aggregate measurement from Pro Football Focus, ESPN, and SIS.

So the degree of difficulty may be high, but somehow, some way, the Cardinals have to find a way to get the rushing attack back in gear. 

Kyler allows for some fun possibilities, and Conner has proven to be both a short-yardage demon and a player who can break off some big runs.

Murray has always spoken about the benefit of a good rushing attack as a complementary piece to his game, but it never felt like Kingsbury, an Air Raid disciple, cared all that much about it working.

The second half of the season is huge for Murray, who is aiming for a return to the superstar trajectory of his first three years in the league.

But it’s also critical to give him some help.

If the Cardinals can run, it slows down the pass-rushers and makes the play-calling more varied.

It makes defenses worry about Murray’s legs, his arm, and the running back.

Murray is an above average pocket passer, which speaks to his impressive skillset, but failing to maximize his impact on the ground was a major issue for Kingsbury.

The Cardinals won’t be perfect in the next few weeks, as Murray gets acclimated to both game action and the new playbook.

But it’s time to truly build around him, and one of the best ways to do that is by alleviating some pressure with a strong rushing attack.