Not so fast!
Pats won’t catch a break with Murray, Cards coming to town
The Patriots were just shredded by Deshaun Watson, one of the best mobile quarterbacks in the game.
They won’t get a break facing Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.
Along with Watson, Murray is a dual threat who will challenge a Patriots defense that didn’t fair particularly well against the Texans quarterback last week.
Murray may pose even more of a problem, given the Cardinals currently sport the NFL’s top offense.
While Murray isn’t particularly tall, standing at 5-foot-10, his rushing and throwing abilities make him dangerous.
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, on a video call, said Murray’s height isn’t a factor, especially once he gets out into space.
The Cardinals quarterback, who was the first pick in the NFL Draft last year, is currently the league’s 11th-leading rusher with 619 yards on 92 carries. He’s also rushed for 10 touchdowns.
“He’s elusive and hard to tackle because he’s quick and fast and is a very instinctive player,” said Belichick.
Murray can also throw the football and has a great cast around him, which includes DeAndre Hopkins, the league’s top receiver, and 11-time Pro Bowler Larry Fitzgerald.
Murray has thrown for 2,644 yards with 14 touchdowns versus eight interceptions. He has a 98.7 quarterback rating.
“He’s got a very good arm. He throws an excellent deep ball. He’s quick, but he’s fast,” said Belichick.
“He can get away from most anybody, so you have to maintain leverage and take an angle on him, or have an angle with him with multiple people. Just limit the amount of space he can work in, but he’s a very dynamic player.”
The Cardinals played last Thursday night, losing to the Seahawks, so they’ll arrive in Foxboro with extra rest.
Head coach Kliff Kingsbury was once a member of the Patriots.
Belichick spoke highly of the former quarterback, who was with the Patriots for one season in 2003.
“Kliff’s a smart guy. Had a really good football background. Played a different style of offense than what we had here, but very willing to learn,” said Belichick. “(He) did a lot of extra things, learned our offense, studied film, studied opponent defenses, just learned a lot about football. He did some projects for us and things like that. He was very good at those and you could tell he’s smart and understood the game, understood concepts … he was very, very good to have around on the team and work with
Burkhead onto 2021
Patriots running back Rex Burkhead, who is believed to have suffered a torn ACL during Sunday’s game against the Texans, took to Twitter to thank the masses for all of the support and encouragement he’s received.
The 30-year-old back acknowledged he was done for the season, but sounded determined to play again next year.
He tweeted: “Appreciate the support and all those who have reached out the past couple of days. Look forward to coming back better than ever in 2021.”
Burkhead did not fly back with the team, staying in Houston to undergo further testing.
A highly-regarded player in the room, Burkhead’s teammates have all spoken glowingly about the back in wake of the devastating injury he suffered.
The veteran back was in the process of having one of his best seasons as a pro. He had three rushing and three receiving touchdowns in 10 games played.
Seymour, Harrison Hall of Fame semifinalists
Former Patriots Richard Seymour and Rodney Harrison, both members of the Patriots Hall of Fame, were named semifinalists for the 2021 class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Seymour has reached this stage now for the fourth time.
He was a finalist last year.
The defensive end won three Super Bowls with the team (2001-08) and was a five-time All-Pro.
As for Harrison, it’s his first time reaching this level.
After a successful career with the Chargers, he was with the Patriots from 20032008, winning two Super Bowls. The safety had nine postseason interceptions. His 30.5 sacks make him the career leader in sacks for a defensive back.
Another former Patriot, Fred Taylor, who established his career as a Jacksonville Jaguars running back, is also a semifinalist.
Other players highlighting the group of semifinalists include Peyton Manning, John Lynch, Steve Tasker, Charles Woodson and Calvin Johnson.
Selectors, who are expected to trim the list of modern-era candidates to 15 finalists in the coming weeks, will vote for the Class of 2021 during the week leading up to Super Bowl LV.