Playing out of conference opponents can be tough, teams you may only see once every four years. If there’s someone to go to for a scouting report on the Arizona Cardinals and QB Kyler Murray, it’s CB Patrick Peterson. Teammates with Murray in Arizona for two seasons, Peterson will face his former team – and quarterback – this Sunday.
On the latest episode of his All Things Covered podcast with co-host and cousin Bryant McFadden, Peterson gave the skinny on defending Murray.
“I just know with me being there one of his weaknesses is keeping him in the pocket,” Peterson said. “Trying to make him a pocket passer. That’s when you’re able to have success against him. Because God didn’t give him the height to see over the offensive linemen to and see the coverages and things like that.”
Murray’s height was a focal point coming out of the 2019 NFL Draft. the Heisman Trophy winner officially checking in at 5101, 207 pounds. That didn’t deter the Cardinals from making him the No. 1 overall pick of the draft, replacing Josh Rosen, whom the team had taken in the first round the year before.
Despite that lack of height, Murray’s had success. He held his own as a rookie, throwing for 20 touchdowns and completing 64.4 percent of his passes. The Cardinals won just five games, but it was a two-game improvement compared to the year before. In 2021, the Cardinals fully righted the ship, finishing the year 11-6 as Murray made the Pro Bowl. A dual threat, some of his biggest plays have come with his legs, rushing for 11 scores in 2020 and five more in 2021.
“I think that’s going to be our biggest challenge,” Peterson said. “To keep him in that pocket and be able to disguise different coverages in the back end.”
Last December, Murray tore his ACL while scrambling and missed the rest of the season. He spent the first half of 2023 rehabbing and recovering before returning as the Cardinals’ starter in Week 10. His first three games back have been uneven, a solid performance to beat the Atlanta Falcons while struggling to move the ball in last weekend’s blowout loss to the Los Angeles Rams. He’s still a threat with his legs, rushing for a touchdown in all three games, though two of them have been within feet of the goal line.
Facing mobile quarterbacks makes pass rushing tricky. There’s always the goal of getting home and racking up sacks and Murray has been sacked a bunch, nine times since his return. But rushing smart is also critical. Preserving rush-lane integrity, not giving Murray escape lanes, and keeping him confined to the pocket instead of letting him extend the play or scramble for yardage is paramount. T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, and company will have to rush smart. Or else Peterson and the Steelers’ secondary will be forced to cover longer than they’d like.
Check out the entire podcast below.
