MURRY,KINGSBURY, CARDINALS START SEASON WITH A TIE

Both Kyler Murry and Kliff Kingsbury made their NFL debuts yesterday when the Arizona Cardinals hosted the Detroit Lions in the season opener at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.  The game ended with a 27-27 tie after one overtime period.

The outcome may sound disappointing to most, but after watching the first 3 quarters of the game a tie feels pretty good if you are a Cardinals fan.  Murray and the offense looked horrible through 3 quarters.  They woke up in the fourth quarter and came from 18 points behind to actually take the lead in overtime.  The Lions then answered with a field goal of their own and that how the game ended.

Murray looked nervous and like he was unsure of what he was doing.  Then he started to use his legs a little more and seemed to grow more confident as the game went on.  He made some common mistakes but don’t forget he was not the only one performing in his first NFL game.

Rookie head coach Kliff Kingsbury, who also calls the plays, was doing it for the first time at the NFL level.  For the first three quarters it showed.  He even took responsibility during the post game conference. 

Murray ended the game going 29-54 for 308 yards, 2 TD’s and 1 INT.  Very impressive numbers and he is the first rookie to throw for 300 plus yards in his debut.  Murray was not the only Cardinal that put up good numbers.  The legend Larry Fitzgerald showed why he is still a threat anytime he is in the game.  He had 8 catches for 113 yards and a score.

Running back David Johnson had 18 carries for 82 yards, which doesn’t seem like much, but it’s 4.5 yards a carry.  Johnson also caught 6 passes for 55 yards and a score.

Although the Cardinals did not win there is plenty to build from.  The defense was outstanding, particularly the cornerbacks, who will have there hands full next week.  The Cardinals travel to Baltimore to take on the Ravens.