Cardinals' Kyler Murray to miss rest of NFL season, likely start of 2023 with torn ACL; Coach Kliff Kingsbury now in major trouble?

The Arizona Cardinals had very slim playoff hopes entering Monday night's home game against the Patriots, knowing they essentially had to win out to have any chance. Alas, on the game's third offensive play, quarterback Kyler Murray went down with a non-contact injury. It was pretty evident immediately that the injury was serious, and his reaction on the way to the locker room on a cart confirmed it. Murray tore his ACL, meaning he not only will miss the rest of this season but likely the start of the 2023 campaign as well. That could impact the future of embattled coach Kliff Kingsbury.

We obviously don't know what would have happened had Murray stayed in the game, but Arizona gained 18 yards on its first three plays. Murray was injured on a 3-yard scramble over the right end at the Cardinals 44 on the third play. The quarterback was sobbing as he entered the tunnel on a cart.

"Anytime you see a noncontact injury, you know it's worse right away," Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins said afterward.

After Colt McCoy took over, Arizona would miss a 50-yard field goal and eventually lose 27-13 to fall to 4-9 and 13th in the NFC. The Cardinals aren't officially eliminated from the playoffs, but the SportsLine Projection Model gives them a 0.0% chance of making it. The loss assures that the Cards will finish under their preseason over/under win total of 8.5.

McCoy finished 27-for-40 for 246 yards with a pick and was sacked six times. The 36-year-old had a 1-1 record when Murray was out for two games last month. McCoy hasn't started at least six games in a season – which he will now do barring injury -- since 2011.

Even without Murray, Arizona mostly dominated the first half Monday, but the game changed when Kingsbury opted to go for it on 4th-and-1 and at the New England 32 with 36 seconds left before intermission and Arizona leading 13-7. McCoy's pass was incomplete.

Obviously, if you kick it there and Matt Prater makes it -- and he's one of the better kickers in the league -- it's a two-score game. Instead, New England quickly drove into field-goal position and converted on the final play of the half to cut the lead to 13-10 and then dominated the second half. Kingsbury calls the offense, and that unit had numerous pre-snap penalties Monday. That's unacceptable coming off a bye week.

One book offers odds on the next NFL head coach to be fired and Kingsbury is a +230 second favorite behind Denver's Nathaniel Hackett (-125), even though Kingsbury got a contract extension this summer. Perhaps ironically, Arizona visits Denver this Sunday. The Broncos had been -1 but are now -3 with the Murray news, although Denver might not have QB Russell Wilson available due to concussion protocol, so that number may jump around all week. 

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