Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals suffered their first loss of the season last week against the Green Bay Packers.
But the news only got worse from there as the quarterback is currently nursing an ankle injury.
He is listed as questionable heading into Sunday’s game with the San Francisco 49ers, and GM Steve Keim offered an update on the situation.
“I know Kyler can play, he extremely tough, and I don’t think there are any questions in our organization internally about his mental makeup or his willingness to play through anything,” Keim said, as shared by Pro Football Talk. “We have to be smart whether he is going to play or not and think about the big picture. We have to make sure we don’t re-aggravate something or do something that is going to hurt us later in the season. I know we will do the right thing and go through the checks and balances process and make sure the right decision is made.”
Right away it is clear the Cardinals are not going to rush Murray back into action if he isn’t close to 100 percent.
That is the wise move given the team is still 7-1 and could likely take down the 49ers even with Colt McCoy running the offense.
Steve Keim is erring on the side of caution with Kyler Murray as the Cardinals QB is dealing with a sprained ankle 🏈 pic.twitter.com/f9XOPchUSM
— Cardinals Nation (@CardsNationCP) November 6, 2021
Staying Cautious With The Franchise QB
Murray is known for making plays with his legs so it makes sense to remain cautious with an ankle injury.
The Cardinals also got off to such a hot start that dropping to 7-2 would not be the end of the world.
Murray already had a nice break since the team’s last game was on Thursday of last week.
Sitting out until Week 10 gives him over two weeks of rest and should mean he is good to go if he is already only questionable this week.
Cardinals QB Kyler Murray said having 4-5 days off following Thursday night's game definitely helped his sprained left ankle. Said he's taking it day to day but sure sounds like he expects to play vs. 49ers on Sunday.
— Bob McManaman (@azbobbymac) November 3, 2021
This is going to be a decision that is made right before the start of the game.
If the Cardinals are smart, they may just tell Murray to sit and keep their sights set on the long-term goal of winning a Super Bowl.
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