Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray, who sustained a hamstring injury in Sunday’s 27-13 win over the Seattle Seahawks, will finish the season on the field and not the sideline, if coach Kliff Kingsbury has his way.
“I am so big on reps and mental reps,” Kingsbury said Monday via the team’s website. “You just can’t compare those (from games). To be in the heat of the battle against one of the top teams in the NFL on the road, those are all reps that could be huge going into the offseason.
“If he’s able to play, he’s going to play.”
After Murray had an MRI exam on Monday, he is day-to-day, according to Kingsbury, who said his rookie quarterback is still feeling sore.
In the season finale, the Cardinals (5-9-1) face the Los Angeles Rams (8-7), who were eliminated from the playoff race on Saturday when they lost to the San Francisco 49ers.
Murray left Sunday’s win at Seattle early in the third quarter with a right hamstring injury and did not return. He was hurt on a 4-yard scramble on third-and-12 with 12:15 remaining in the quarter. The Cardinals kicked a field goal on the next play, and fifth-year quarterback Brett Hundley entered to start the next possession.
Murray finished 11 of 18 for 118 yards and a touchdown — a 21-yard catch-and-run by Larry Fitzgerald after a wild scramble by Murray — before departing. He also had 40 rushing yards on six carries.
Hundley completed just 4 of 9 passes for 49 yards, but rushed for 35 yards on six carries and led a 78-yard fourth-quarter drive for a touchdown to clinch the victory.
If Murray can’t play Sunday, Hundley is expected to get the start, and Arizona will most likely bring up 24-year-old Drew Anderson, a rookie out of Murray State, from the practice squad.
According to Hundley “really, nothing changes,” if he gets the starting nod.
“My preparation has been the same,” he said Monday. “It’s going out and having fun. At this point, that’s all I try to do is have some fun. When it is my time to play, it’s my time to play.”
The No. 1 overall pick in April’s draft, Murray has 3,397 passing yards, 18 touchdowns and 10 interceptions through 15 games as a rookie. He also has rushed for 544 yards and four scores.
