How Kyler Murray’s wild 2-point conversion, fourth-quarter magic fueled Cardinals comeback vs. Raiders: ‘I had to take over’

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Kyler Murray might only want to use his legs when needed, but on Sunday, the speed and mobility of the Cardinals’ quarterback was the reason they had a chance against the Raiders.

Murray went on a wild run for a 2-point conversion, kept the final drive alive with two first-down scrambles and rushed for a touchdown that put Arizona in a position to tie the game late and force overtime despite at one point trailing the Raiders 20-0. The game proved to be the largest blown lead in Raiders’ history.

And take over he did.

Here’s a look at some of Murray’s wild, late-game plays that kept the Cardinals alive.

Kyler Murray’s late heroics

2-point conversion

With 8:13 left in the game, Darrel Williams rushed into the end zone from a yard out to make the game a 10-point contest. But the Cardinals still had the 2-point try to bring the team within a single score.

Murray took the snap and dropped back, but it wasn’t long until defensive tackle Andrew Billings broke through the line and began to chase the QB. Murray ran right and looped back to the left hash as Kendal Vickers entered the chase.

Murray took time to survey the field, pointing in the end zone as he stood in front of the Raiders’ 20 with the offensive line picking up the pressure. With no one getting open, Murray decided to run it, cutting right and looping through the middle of the field before reaching the end zone for the 2-point try.

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Murray might have moved the ball forward only two yards, but he went much farther than that on the field. NFL Next Gen Stats tracked him as having run nearly the length of a football field on that play, scrambling 84.9 yards to get the job done. The play lasted 20.8 seconds.

Next Gen Stats reported it was the most yards traveled on a 2-point conversion since 2016, in the history of the NGS era.

Keeping drive alive

Murray did it all on the final drive of regulation. He completed two of his first four pass attempts for 21 yards to drive up to the Arizona 48. After Williams came up short on a 3rd-and-1, Murray scrambled right for a gain of two to keep the drive alive with 2:28 left.

The next play, he scrambled in the backfield to stay alive, and though he was sacked, his ability to keep the play alive drew a holding call on Las Vegas to move Arizona up to the Las Vegas 36-yard line.

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He made a pass to Zach Ertz for six yards and ran for another five to pick up a first at the Las Vegas 25. Murray continued to dazzle, but the drive appeared to stall out with Arizona facing a 4th-and-goal from the Raiders 3.

Game-tying touchdown

Murray wasn’t done with the late heroics.

The Cardinals’ signal-caller dropped back from the 3 and surveyed the end zone, and found no one. It didn’t take long this time for him to find a pocket of space on the left side.

He saw he had space as he darted to the left pylon and stretched the ball out as he easily cruised into the end zone ahead of two Las Vegas defenders as time expired.

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But there was still work to be done. The Cardinals still trailed 23-21 with no time left. Arizona needed the two points to force overtime.

Murray dropped back, and this time, he didn’t need the luxury of his legs. It took just under five seconds for him to rifle a pass to a diving A.J. Green in the back of the end zone to tie up the game.

As if there wasn’t enough craziness during regulation, the Cardinals went on to win the game after Byron Murphy recovered a fumble by the Raiders and took it 59 yards for a walk-off touchdown in overtime.

Kyler Murray stats vs. Raiders

While Murray couldn’t finish the Raiders off in overtime, eventually turning the ball over on downs on Arizona’s first possession, the box score showed just how much Murray put the team on his back.

Murray’s rushing might have been magical, but he only logged five carries for 28 yards and a touchdown. His best efforts came in the passing game, where he completed 31-of-49 passes for 277 yards with a touchdown and a pick.

Murray has been adamant in the past that he views his legs as a “luxury” and that he didn’t want to use his legs as frequently as he did in 2020. But on Sunday, that “luxury” was the reason Arizona was in a position to win.

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