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The New Orleans Saints are hosting the Arizona Cardinals at the Caesars Superdome in Week 1 of the 2025 NFL regular season, and there's one question on everyone's minds -- that has nothing to do with who the Saints will be trotting out at quarterback. Instead, we're wondering just how well the Saints can defend Cardinals QB Kyler Murray, who beat New Orleans 42-34 in their last matchup. Two pick-sixes off of Andy Dalton's right hand helped Arizona build a big lead in that game but Dennis Allen's defense struggled to contain Murray. Maybe his replacement can do better.
How has Murray done against Brandon Staley's defenses over the years? Staley called plays for the Los Angeles Rams in 2020, and Murray went 0-2 against him; he found some success in Week 13 going 21-of-39 for 173 passing yards with three touchdowns, but he also threw an interception and only picked up 15 rushing yards on five carries while taking two sacks for a loss of 33 yards on the ground. The Rams still won that game 38-28. They did a lot better in the rematch a month later,: Staley's unit held Murray to just 87 passing yards (completing 8 of 11 throws), sacking him twice for a loss of 16 yards, gaining just 3 yards off of a pair of rushes. L.A. ended the season with an 18-7 win.
Staley only crossed paths once more with Murray after the Chargers hired him in a promotion to head coach. And he beat the young playmaker a third time in 2022, even if it was too close for comfort. Murray completed 18 of 29 throws for 191 yards and a couple of touchdowns, this time running for 56 yards and another score on the ground, but he threw an interception in the first half and took a critical sack just before the final two-minute warning that helped set up the Chargers for a comeback. Staley's team won a nailbiter, 25-24.
So if you look at it as Staley posting a 3-0 record against Murray, that's exciting. He's only let the QB run on his defense once in three meetings without allowing a single 200-yards passing game; Murray averages 237.8 passing yards per game in his career, with a pace of 36.8 rushing yards per game. His weapons are better now than in previous meetings and the offense he's working in now can run the ball well even when teams bottle him up, so this isn't a matchup we can take lightly. Still, it's encouraging to see Staley has a history of success against one of the game's more dangerous quarterbacks.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Cardinals QB Kyler Murray has never beaten Saints DC Brandon Staley
Continue reading...
How has Murray done against Brandon Staley's defenses over the years? Staley called plays for the Los Angeles Rams in 2020, and Murray went 0-2 against him; he found some success in Week 13 going 21-of-39 for 173 passing yards with three touchdowns, but he also threw an interception and only picked up 15 rushing yards on five carries while taking two sacks for a loss of 33 yards on the ground. The Rams still won that game 38-28. They did a lot better in the rematch a month later,: Staley's unit held Murray to just 87 passing yards (completing 8 of 11 throws), sacking him twice for a loss of 16 yards, gaining just 3 yards off of a pair of rushes. L.A. ended the season with an 18-7 win.
Staley only crossed paths once more with Murray after the Chargers hired him in a promotion to head coach. And he beat the young playmaker a third time in 2022, even if it was too close for comfort. Murray completed 18 of 29 throws for 191 yards and a couple of touchdowns, this time running for 56 yards and another score on the ground, but he threw an interception in the first half and took a critical sack just before the final two-minute warning that helped set up the Chargers for a comeback. Staley's team won a nailbiter, 25-24.
So if you look at it as Staley posting a 3-0 record against Murray, that's exciting. He's only let the QB run on his defense once in three meetings without allowing a single 200-yards passing game; Murray averages 237.8 passing yards per game in his career, with a pace of 36.8 rushing yards per game. His weapons are better now than in previous meetings and the offense he's working in now can run the ball well even when teams bottle him up, so this isn't a matchup we can take lightly. Still, it's encouraging to see Staley has a history of success against one of the game's more dangerous quarterbacks.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Cardinals QB Kyler Murray has never beaten Saints DC Brandon Staley
Continue reading...
