Murray leads homecoming parade
ARLINGTON, Texas — It's homecoming week for the Dallas Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals, or at least it feels that way about as much as an NFL game can.
Andy Dalton's first start for the Cowboys in place of injured star quarterback Dak Prescott will be just a few miles from where the Houston-area native had a standout career at TCU.
Two more Texas natives will be on the other sideline, with Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray and coach Kliff Kingsbury making their “Monday Night Football” debut sin their first NFL appearances in their home state.
For Murray, it will be in a stadium where he's won four championships three straight state titles in high school football-obsessed Texas for
nearby Allen and a Big 12 crown with Oklahoma in a win over rival Texas two years ago.
“I will be able to enjoy the moment, but at the same time I know what's at stake,” said Murray, who is 6-0 at AT&T Stadium with another victory when he was a backup at Texas A&M. “This isn't about me going home. I'll be able to enjoy it, but at the same time, to enjoy it, you got to win.”
The Cardinals (3-2) are playing the last of three consecutive road games while the Cowboys (2-3) wrap up three straight at their $1.2 billion venue with the retractable roof and huge video board hanging over the middle of the field.
Those sights are also familiar to Kingsbury, who grew up just north of San Antonio and coached Texas Tech for six straight seasons against Baylor in Dallas owner Jerry Jones' crown jewel.
“I'm a huge fan of the state and of the Cowboys, the Jones family,” he said. “To come back on a professional level and then be part of a Monday night game is a huge honor.”
All that aside, Dalton is the biggest story in trying to keep Dallas' playoff hopes intact a week after the emotional loss of Prescott to a gruesomelooking broken ankle.
A nine-year starter with 70 career wins in Cincinnati, Dalton stepped in and led two fourth-quarter drives to field goals, the latter on the final play of a 37-34 win over the New York Giants. As a senior at TCU in 2010, Dalton led the Horned Frogs to the school's only undefeated season in the past 82 years.
“That's the first thing he says: `I came here to win. I came here to play. So, let's do it,'” said receiver Michael Gallup, who had spectacular sideline catches on consecutive plays to set up the winning field goal. “That's all I really need to know.”
LIFE WITHOUT JONES FOR CARDS: The Cardinals will be playing their first game in 4 years without All-Pro linebacker Chandler Jones. The 30-year-old sustained a biceps injury during last week's 30-10 win over the Jets and will need season-ending surgery. Kingsbury said the rehab process was expected to take up to four months. Jones has 61 sacks in 69 games during his time in the desert. Kingsbury said several younger linebackers would have to step up in Jones' absence, including Hasson Reddick, Dennis Gardeck and rookie Isaiah Simmons, who was the No. 8 overall pick in April.