Cardinals’ frustrating loss is proof Kyler Murray can’t do it alone

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Kyler Murray may be one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, the face of a franchise and the future of a position, but on Sunday, he showed he can’t do it all for the Arizona Cardinals.

Murray set a career high with 106 rushing yards and became the first quarterback in the Super Bowl era to rush for eight touchdowns in a team’s first eight games, but when crunch time reared its ugly head against the Miami Dolphins, those around Murray didn’t come through when needed most in a 34-31 loss.

First, it was running back Chase Edmonds, who got stuffed on fourth-and-inches with the game tied at 31 with 5 minutes, 20 seconds left.

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Then it was kicker Zane Gonzalez, who missed a 49-yard field goal with 1:58 left with Arizona trailing by three points.

Murray did his part all day, even after he got stripped in the first quarter for a scoop-and-score touchdown. He threw for 283 yards and three touchdowns on 21-for-26 passing, finishing with a passer rating of 150.5. His 106 rushing yards and 12-yard touchdown run came on 11 carries.

The rest of the running game didn’t pull its weight with 72 yards on 26 carries — 70 on 25 carries by Edmonds and 2 yards on one carry by D.J. Foster.

But, perhaps, it was coach Kliff Kinsgbury who should shoulder most of the blame for Sunday’s loss. Since Murray was playing as well as he was, maybe it was Murray who should have been the one with the ball on the fourth-and-inches and a third-and-1 late in the fourth when Murray’s pass to Christian Kirk fell incomplete.

Regardless, going for the field goal at the end of the game was the right call, according to ESPN’s win probability model. The Cardinals’ win probability by attempting the field goal was at 38.6%. It was 30.7% had they gone for it.

But Murray’s effort essentially went to waste and Arizona fell to 5-3, losing out on a chance to be tied for first place in the NFC West and own its first four-game winning streak since 2015.

Kyler Murray passed for 283 yards and three TDs and rushed for 106 yards and one TD in a losing effort against Miami. AP Photo/Rick Scuteri

Describe the game in two words: Kyler vs. Tua. This matchup, although it won’t be seen very often because of their different conferences, highlighted two of the best young quarterbacks in the NFL and the game lived up to the hype. Tua Tagovailoa finished 20-of-28 for 248 yards and two touchdowns.

Promising trend: The Cardinals got pass-rushing help from the two players they wanted it from. Arizona signed Josh Mauro and traded for Markus Golden over the past two weeks, bringing them back to Arizona, where they played earlier in their careers. And both had sacks Sunday.

Biggest hole in the game plan: Not getting receiver DeAndre Hopkins involved early and often. In fact, Hopkins wasn’t targeted in the first half, the second time in his career it has happened. He ended up finishing with 30 yards on three catches.

Pivotal play: On fourth-and-inches with the game tied at 31 with 5:20 left in the fourth quarter, Kingsbury called for a handoff to Edmonds instead of letting Murray, who had a career-high 106 rushing yards, take it himself. Edmonds got stuffed and the Dolphins took over on downs.