● Moore: Kyler vs. Tua might be one of the NFL's best rivalries,
Yeah, yeah, yeah, it’s too soon, but what if?
What if we just saw football’s next great quarterback rivalry in Kyler Murray vs. Tua Tagovailoa?
Miami’s 34-31 win was a big blow to Arizona’s hopes of taking control of the NFC West, but what if in 15 or 20 years we look back and remember these two the way we remember Drew Brees and Tom Brady? Or Brees and Peyton Manning? Or Troy Aikman and Jim Kelly? Or Kelly and Joe Montana? Or Montana and Dan Marino?
Right. Too soon. It’s ridiculous to compare a second-year guy and a guy in his second start to some of the greatest to ever play the position. And besides, there’s already Pat Mahomes and Lamar Jackson. And Deshaun Watson and Dak Prescott. And this could just be something mundane like Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota. Or forgettable like Vince Young and Matt Leinart.
But that’s the thing about history, you never know until later.
And Kyler vs. Tua has all the trappings.
Backstory? Frivolity? Balance?
Rivalries need a good backstory. Kyler and Tua go back two years to their college days. Kyler was at Oklahoma. Tua was at Alabama. Kyler took Round1, winning the 2018 Heisman Trophy as Tua finished second. A few weeks later, Tua got Round 2 by leading the Crimson Tide over the Sooners in the College Football Playoff.
Rivalries need some cute and/or intriguing coincidences.
Kyler and Tua are both first-name guys who wear a “1” on their jersey. (This was the first game in at least 20 years between two quarterbacks wearing that jersey number.) And they were both taken early in back-to-back, quarterbackheavy drafts by teams with up-andcoming coaches who spent time learning from Bill Belichick.
More substantially, rivalries need balance.
Kyler and Tua have that, with each playing what we can safely call “modern quarterback,” meaning they can move and make plays with their legs as well as their arms.
Tua (seven carries for 35 yards rushing) doesn’t have anything on Kyler (11 carries for 106 yards and a touchdown), but then again, who does?
Murray has 543 yards rushing on the season, making him just the fourth NFL quarterback to hit 500 yards on the ground in his first two seasons.
Tua, meanwhile, has just 35 rushing yards in three games, all of them against the Cardinals. But he’s dynamic enough to keep defenses guessing. Consider the game-tying drive early in the fourth quarter.
Arizona had gone up, 31-24, thanks to one of Kyler’s patented red zone RPOs. (He faked the handoff, waited for the defense to commit to stopping the running back, snatched the ball out and took off for the end zone.)
The next possession, Miami was looking at a third-and-4 from their 28 early in the fourth quarter. Tua dropped back, saw that everybody was covered and ran for it. Arizona safety Budda Baker came up fast to stop Tua from getting the first down. But Tua shook Budda out of his asana (sorry, no more yoga jokes, I promise) and picked up 7 yards.
Later in the same drive, Tua dropped back and found himself under heavy pressure in the pocket. He pulled a 360 and darted up the middle for 17 yards. The next play he threw a touchdown pass, setting up a 31-31 tie.
Pressure? Bitterness? Respect?
Rivalries need pressure points. In this case, Tua did something that Murray couldn’t, converting a thirdand-1 with the game on the line.
Trailing 34-31 late in the game, Murray rolled right and threw an incomplete pass at the feet of Christian Kirk. A play later, Arizona missed what would have been that game-tying field goal.
The next possession, Miami had the ball near midfield, third-and-1 with a little less than a minute to go. An Arizona stop would give Kyler the ball back with some time to mount a drive. A first down would seal the win for Miami.
Tua put his head down and plowed forward for 2, and that was it.
Rivalries require mutual respect. “You know what you’re gonna get when it comes to Kyler Murray,” Tagovailoa said. “You’re gonna get big, explosive plays.”
Miami coach Brian Flores echoed the sentiment. “Kyler Murray, he’s a fantastic player,” he said.
But rivalries also need a touch of bitterness.
Kyler was seething after the game. “Just gotta be better,” he said of himself and his team.
As for Tua, “I’ve got nothing but love for him and his family. He obviously played well today. Well enough to beat us.”
Yeah, it’s too soon.
This could still be Daniel Jones and Dwayne Haskins. Or Blake Bortles and Johnny Manziel.
But it certainly doesn’t feel like that. It feels like maybe — probably? — we’ll look back at this and remember it as the start of something special.