The Evening Leader

Murray sharp as Cards top Browns

- By TOM WITHERS

CLEVELAND — Kyler Murray threw four touchdown passes as the Arizona Cardinals remained the NFL’s only unbeaten team and continued their best start since 1974 — without coach Kliff Kingsbury on Sunday — with a 37-14 win over the battered, reeling Cleveland Browns.

The Cardinals (6-0) built a 20-0 lead in the first half and kept their perfect record intact despite not having Kingsbury or star linebacker Chandler Jones, who both tested positive for COVID-19 this week.

Murray connected with DeAndre Hopkins for two TDs, and Arizona’s shifty quarterbac­k came up with a clutch play whenever the Cardinals

needed one.

The Browns (3-3) have lost two straight under coach Kevin Stefanski for the first time and Cleveland has bigger concerns, most notably to a growing list of major injuries. The latest was to running back Kareem Hunt, carted to the locker room in the fourth quarter with a calf injury.

Cleveland was already missing star running back Nick Chubb (calf) and the Browns, who host Denver on Thursday night, played without both their starting offensive tackles.

Also, quarterbac­k Baker Mayfield appeared to reinjure his left shoulder and wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. briefly left with a shoulder issue. Mayfield committed three turnovers: two fumbles and an intercepti­on.

The Browns were trailing 23-14 when Cardinals star defensive end J.J. Watt chased down Mayfield and forced a fumble by sweeping out the QB’s legs. Mayfield stayed down for several minutes — with Watt kneeling nearby — and was twice examined in the medical tent, but stayed in.

After his fumble, Murray

made the Browns pay by throwing a 9-yard pass to a wide-open Hopkins to put the Cardinals ahead 30-14.

Later, Hunt was not targeted on a pass play and the bruising back crumpled to the ground without contact.

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