2 years ago
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THOUSAND OAKS — The crippled betwixt unbeaten teams past October was inactive adjacent successful the archetypal half, and Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals faced a third-and-16 connected the borderline of the reddish zone, the Rams’ defence hoping to bounds the visitors to a field-goal attempt.
What happened adjacent showed the challenges Murray presents to defenses. Under a blitz, the backmost sprinted to his left, bushed speedy linebacker Kenny Young to the extracurricular and outran linebacker Terrell Lewis up the sideline, past utilized wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins’ artifact connected cornerback Jalen Ramsey to headdress an 18-yard tally for the archetypal down earlier safely stepping retired of bounds. Two plays later, the Cardinals had a touchdown and power of what became a 37-20 victory.
“That’s a awesome of what you don’t privation to bash versus a feline similar that,” Rams antiaircraft coordinator Raheem Morris said of the play Friday, “because helium tin wounded you.”
The Rams (8-4) person crushed to judge they’ll grip Murray amended erstwhile they look the Cardinals (10-2) again Monday nighttime astatine State Farm Stadium successful Glendale, Ariz.
Young, who made the mistake of letting Murray get extracurricular him connected that play, has since been traded and replaced by third-round draught prime Ernest Jones, and Lewis, who tried to unreserved Murray but was blocked, has mislaid his starting spot connected the borderline pursuing the Rams’ commercialized for Von Miller.
Now, Miller and Jones purpose to marque a quality successful a crippled the Rams indispensable triumph to enactment successful the NFC West rubric race.
“I deliberation they traded for maine for sacks and unit (on quarterbacks) and conscionable to beryllium a coagulated borderline defender and (to) marque game-changing plays and assistance retired A.D.,” Miller said Thursday, referring to antiaircraft lineman Aaron Donald. “This is the crippled wherever I should beryllium capable to bash that.v
Jones described his responsibility: “Just making a batch of plays and conscionable going retired and containing (Murray) arsenic overmuch arsenic possible. If I’m enactment successful situations wherever I request to spy connected him oregon whatever, conscionable making definite I’m doing my job.”
The question is however overmuch Murray tin beryllium contained.
In that Week 4 game, Murray completed 24 of 32 passes (75%) for 268 yards, 2 touchdowns and nary interceptions. He was sacked 3 times, by Floyd, Lewis and Sebastian Joseph-Day. But helium often escaped the unreserved and ran six times for 39 yards.
But fewer teams person done immoderate amended than the Rams astatine containing Murray, the 2018 Heisman Trophy victor from Oklahoma and 2019 No. 1 wide draught prime and NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Murray leads the league successful passer standing (112.2), completion percent (72.7%) and yards per walk effort (8.85). Since 1980, quarterbacks person finished a play No. 1 successful each 3 categories 8 times, accounting for six MVP awards: 2 each for Steve Young and Kurt Warner, 1 for Joe Montana and Tom Brady.
Despite missing 3 games successful November with an ankle injury, Murray is an MVP campaigner himself arsenic the violative person of a squad that is the archetypal to 10 wins this play aft going 8-8 successful 2020.
“Oh yeah, he’s the G.O.A.T. already,” said Miller, who has followed his chap Texan’s vocation since precocious schoolhouse done his modulation from prototypical moving backmost to businesslike passer. “He does everything well. He tin propulsion the shot down the field, scramble, read-option. Whatever it is that quarterbacks bash well, you make a checklist, and helium has each of those checks for sure.”
The Monday-night showcase is large for Murray.
“If you privation to beryllium great,” Murray said successful Arizona, “these are the types of games you’ve got to measurement up to the plate.”
It’s adjacent much captious for the Rams, and winning depends connected not letting Murray outplay Matthew Stafford again.
In summation to having Miller and Jones successful the lineup, the Rams could person versatile linebacker Justin Hollins backmost Monday. Hollins went connected injured reserve with a pectoral musculus teardrop the week of the archetypal Cardinals game. He resumed signifier connected Dec. 1.
“It’s much velocity retired there,” Donald said of Miller and Jones. “Having guys similar that retired determination ain’t gonna bash thing but assistance us.”
Since Miller’s accomplishment the archetypal week successful November, fans person been waiting for the NFL’s progressive person successful sacks (with 110½) to grounds his archetypal arsenic a Ram.
“Me too, man,” Miller said. “(The game) is not each astir sacks. But for maine successful my head, it is. It’s a tiny portion of maine that I privation to spell retired determination and get sacks playing with A.D. and Leonard Floyd and each these guys.”
But the incorrect unreserved program hazard letting Murray, a speedy 5-foot-10 and 207 pounds, get extracurricular the pouch and moving escaped the mode helium did connected third-and-16 successful October.
“You’ve got to ever beryllium conscious of his flight routes,” Miller said. “Here with the Rams, we’ve got a squad afloat of monsters connected defense. So, I don’t privation to get excessively caught up successful containing the backmost and trying to support (him) successful the pocket. I conscionable privation each the guys to unreserved up front.
“If we conscionable play our benignant of ball, we’ll beryllium good. Score immoderate points and play coagulated defense. That’s the mode we bash it.”
NOTES
Wide receiver Cooper Kupp (toe) and near defender David Edwards (foot) returned to afloat signifier Thursday. Running backmost Darrell Henderson (thigh) remained limited. Center Brian Allen (knee), extracurricular linebacker Terrell Lewis (back) and cornerback Robert Rochell (chest) sat retired again. Miller missed signifier to be to what was listed arsenic a idiosyncratic matter. Miller posted a broken-heart tweet aft the decease of erstwhile Broncos teammate Demaryius Thomas.
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