Kyler Murray out, Colt McCoy in for Cardinals. Seahawks without D.J. Reed, Sidney Jones in
The last-place Seahawks’ chances to beat the first-place Cardinals should have gone way up well before they got on the field.
Arizona announced 90 minutes before kickoff Sunday at Lumen Field Kyler Murray was inactive for the game. The first-overall choice in the 2019 NFL draft and speedy, dynamic quarterback missed his third consecutive game because of a sprained ankle.
Colt McCoy, a 35-year-old journeyman backup who beat the Seahawks in Seattle last season as a fill-in, was to start for Murray Sunday. He was limited in practices this past week by a pectoral injury he got after starting Arizona’s 34-10 home loss to Carolina the previous week.
Murray was on the field about two hours before kickoff in sweatpants, sweatshirt and cleats. He threw long passes, but other than lightly dropping back to pass he didn’t really test the ankle by running.
He also talked at length with Seahawks assistant coach DeShawn Shead in the middle of the field.
The decision of the Cardinals and coach Kliff Kingsbury to have Murray sit out Sunday relates to Arizona having a bye next week. Murray will now have more than a month to rest his sprained ankle but miss only three games, like Seattle got with Russell Wilson missing a month following finger surgery last month.
Murray was a candidate to be the NFL most valuable player early last season when Arizona began 2020 5-2. Then he injured his shoulder. He continued to play through the injury the rest of last season, and the Cardinals slumped to 8-8 and missed the playoffs.
Kingsbury mentioned that this past week to reporters in Arizona, and that he wants Murray healthier this year for the end of the season.
The Cardinals at 8-2 leading the NFC West entering Sunday could afford the luxury of giving Murray an extra week to heal — more so than they would be if they had been, say, 3-6. That was what the Seahawks were entering Sunday’s game.
McCoy entered Sunday 2-0 in his 12-year career. Last Dec. 6 inside Lumen Field, in his first start for the New York Giants, McCoy completed 13 of 22 passes in handing the malfunctioning Seahawks a 17-12 loss. It was Seattle’s worst defeat of a 12-4, NFC West-championship season.
Reed missing
The Seahawks were without injured starting cornerback D.J. Reed. He was inactive for the first time this season. He had been questionable to play because of groin and knee injuries.
That meant the return of Sidney Jones to starting, as he did last month until rookie Tre Brown took his job.
Jones and Brown were to be the starting cornerbacks Sunday. Brown was on the left side with Jones on the right during pregame warmups.
In a twist, the Seahawks left both L.J. Collier and former Cardinals first-round pick Robert Nkemdiche inactive Sunday. Nkemdiche had been the choice over Collier at defensive tackle in the line’s rotation for all but two of the first eight games. Collier then got his most play of the season last weekend in Seattle’s loss at Green Bay.
Injured backup offensive tackle Jamarco Jones was also inactive for the Seahawks. So were backup center Dakoda Shepley and third quarterback Jacob Eason.
This story was originally published November 21, 2021 at 12:34 PM.
