Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray isn’t a fan of preseason games. He definitely wasn’t a fan of last night’s performance by the starting offense (minus DeAndre Hopkins) against the Chiefs.
“Not the outing we had hoped for,” he told Lisa Salters of ESPN during the second half of Friday night’s game. “But . . . it is what it is. Doesn’t count. Look forward to the regular season starting in a couple weeks.”
Looking backward at the second preseason game of 2021, the first-string offense went three and out three times, with net yards of minus one.
“I just think we’ve gotta clean some stuff up, get some things right,” Murray said. “They kicked our butt for the three drives we were out there. It is what it is. We’ll be better when it counts.”
It starts with a visit to the Titans followed by another home game, against the Vikings. After a trip to Jacksonville, the Cardinals face the Rams, 49ers, and Browns. That’s a pack of five tough games against playoff contenders in the first six of the season. If they go 3-3 or worse, the margin for error will become very narrow over the final 11 contest -- especially five five more games to play against NFC West rivals, along with games against the Packers, Colts, Bears, and Cowboys.