Breaking down the game- Football Film Study 101: NFL Kyler Murray Cardinals analysis- Running and passing, how teams defend him

The Cardinals Kyler Murray is an exciting qb who is creating nightmares for defensive coordinators. .

At 5ft 9 he was a great college qb who was utilized in various ways. They rolled him, moved the pocket and did some great things in the run game that made him successful.

He is the best running back on the Cardinals roster. Kenyon Drake had a great game against the Cowboys but has been inconsistent.

Murray is a threat on any play with his legs and you have to account for him as a defensive coordinator in everything you do.

Then you have Hopkins, Kirk and Fitzgerald to worry about in the passing attack and Edmonds out of the backfield. He can throw the deep ball and is very accurate and can make the sideline throws.

They have many weapons and the way they use him in straight run designs and the qb draw game makes it very difficult to defend.

First lets look at the run game and how the Cardinals use him.

2020 Stats:

Rushing: 9 rushes a game. 62 yards per game 6.7 yards per carry

1. NAKED BOOTS

especially in short yardage situations.

Against the Cowboys on 4th and 1, they run a boot and end up turning the corner and getting a 12 yard gain.

Here's another boot vs the Cowboys.They seal the edge to put him in space. He can throw it or run it with space to run.

2. QB DRAWS

2nd and 8 vs the Seahawks. They go 12 personnel and run qb draw. Both tight ends block right away. Murray gives a weak fake to the running back and follows him for qb draw.

They run qb draw for 8 yards.

QB Draw Against the Jets

Jets show a cover 2 look and are in cover 2 man. The rb occupies the mike and their is no one in centerfield making it an easy 15 yard gain.

cover 2 man is a very tough coverage to play against Murray because no one is on the qb.

If you go man free, at least you could have one of the Ilb in the 4-2 spy underneath.

cardinals create a running lane on the draw play

a few qb draws vs the Jets are below:

3. ZONE READ

You cant defend him with a defensive end so you are forced to bring someone off the edge/scrape exchange it or live with 12-15 yard gains by playing it with the defensive end.

Here the Cowboys try to defend him with a defensive end and he ends up getting 16 yards.

Hes a nightmare to play with a defensive end.

Some teams try blitzing him like The Jets try and he makes them pay for an 11 yard gain. The Jets had the safety on him and he does a good job with his fakes that he sells him on the run.

Here's a zone read on 4th and 1 vs the Dolphins,

The Dolphins stunt go cover 0 and the lb on the cross dog is unblocked. Murray makes him miss and he gets 28 yards. It was the perfect call and it didn't matter.

4. Designed runs

vs Dolphins

Here they run a qb toss crack scheme for him on 3rd and 3. The DE blows up the play, they lose the puller and it doesn't matter. He makes the de miss and its another big 16 yard gain.

5. SCRAMBLE FACTOR

3rd and 8 vs the Seahawks, he's sacked but eludes it and gets 9 yards for the first down.

He's sacked first by the lb, and then by the de and he just uses his athleticism to create plays.

2ND AND 5

CARDINALS RUN A BEAR LOOK RUN A GAME WITH THE NOSE AND DE AND IT SHOULD BE AN EASY SAFETY.

HE ELUDES IT AND GETS 5 OUT OF IT. AGAIN 2 PLAYS IN WHICH HE'S SACKED AND HE ESCAPES FOR A POSITIVE GAIN THEY END UP DRIVING 90 YARDS FOR A TD.

Below the nose 97 went right and the dt looped. The center drops his head and the looper comes clean.

How do you defend him.

3 important aspects of defending Kyler Murray.

Theres a few things NFL teams are doing to take away the run element.

1. In the zone read game, make your decision and play it. I wouldn't put a de on him and shove, squeeze, sit technique it because he's too damn fast. I would scrape exchange it all the time or bring pressure to the side of the back and make him hand the ball off.

2. Bring pressure up the middle.

Bring 5 by blitz engaging the back and play the other lb as a spy on Murray. The coverage would be man free.

Example #1 Here the Lions bring the pressure right up the gut.

Here's another inside pressure with man free vs 20 personnel

Both clips of the inside pressure are below:

The Seahawks ran an inside pressure and should have had a sack last game. (see the picture above) but he makes plays.

2. Another way to handle him is to play some type of zone coverage with a 3 or 4 man rush, where you have the lb spy him and then rush late. Play cover 2/3/6/8 etc and have a lb spy him with a 3 or 4 man rush. you can play other coverages and have the lb or preferably a nickel spy him.

If you go 3-2 dime you can spy him with a drop down safety

See example the Lions did. This is the preferred method 3rd and long because you can bring the 4th rusher but use the safety as the spy.

The other advantage to doing this is if they free release the back and you are in a pressure look you may have an issue.

You'll see this strategy against the Texans, Chiefs, Bills and qbs are scramblers.

Below the rams do it to try to slow him down in the run game.

The Rams do a good job here, playing the qb

The Passing game

MURRAY is a nightmare in the passing game because he can throw both the de

ep out and hit the deep out routes. He is extremely accurate and don't let his size fool you.

One way you can try to handle athletic qbs is to send pressure and not allow them a running lane. The Dolphins went cover o over the top with rat defenders often vs the Cardinals.

The Dolphins had some success early with this strategy but they were 1 for 4 early for 10 yards against it and had him sacked but he scrambled for 12 yards and set up a big td.

The next time they ran it Murray made them pay with a big 56 yard td vs cover 0.

Here are the first 5 plays the Cards ran vs the Dolphins cover 0 on the first drive. Some plays are highlighted below. The concept was solid but he can make plays with his mobility.

Here the Dolphins bring 6 in a read it type stunt with cover o. Meaning if someone steps to the linebacker you drop into coverage. Watch the lbs on this.

After the sack and some more 6 man pressures with cover 0 ,the Cardinals get smart and go 12 personnel.

The Dolphins don't go double mug vs 12 and play their bear look

Better set to throw against and they go play action and hit the #2 wr in the hole for 18 yards.

3rd and 9 they Dolphins go man again Right call and the pressure gets home but Murray gets away and gets 12 yards. 1 play later he scores a td. Instead of a sack, field goal , the Cards get a td on the drive.

The Dolphins go back to the well again but this time it doesn't pay off.

The Dolphins learn that Murray is a little better and has more weapons than the Rams the week before . They run a 6 man pressure and play man and Murray makes him pay with a 56 yard td strike to Kirk. With Hopkins, Kirk, Fitzgerald and Edmunds, he has some good weapons in the passing game.

The tight end up top chips on the de which gives Murray a little more time and allows the center to get out and pick up the de.

Kirk gets behind the corner and Murray hits him in stride for the TD

After this 56 yard bomb, the Dolphins stopped playing straight man the rest of the half , and used it sparingly the rest of the game, go back to their man free, cover 1 some cover 2 and other base coverages.

Here they run the traditional 3 man rush cover 2 with the spy on the qb on 3rd and 10. They force the incomplete and the field goal,

Anyone who questions Murrays touch watch this 21 yard pass with someone on his heels. Perfect throw and touch with this ball.

This tied the score at 24-24

The Seahawks did some good things vs Murray.

Three things.

On early downs they took away the rpo and quick passes.

They get 3 on the check down

They also were smart and always had an athletic lb on Murray in the zone read game. Not putting the de on the qb, and often forcing the give.

On a key 3rd and 1 The Seahawks blitz to the side of the back and scrape exchange it with the lb. They do a great job and force a 2 yard loss on the play.