Cards feel at home on MNF in Dallas

Arizona coach Kliff Kingsbury and quarterback Kyler Murray are returning to their home state

TEMPE – Arizona Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury is headed back to his home state of Texas on Monday for a pretty big football game. He’s unsure if his southern drawl will make a return appearance as well.

“It’s usually after a few Coors Lights so I don’t know if it’ll really break out this trip,” Kingsbury said with a wry grin.

The Cardinals travel to face the Dallas Cowboys for “Monday Night Football” in a game that isn’t short on storylines. Arizona (3-2) is one of the NFL’s up-andcoming teams and trying to stay competitive in the tough NFC West.

The Cowboys (2-3) are trying to regain their footing with backup quarterback Andy Dalton, who’s making his first start in place of the injured starter Dak Prescott.

It’ll also be a showcase for some of the premier talent that the Texas football scene has produced over the years. Kingsbury and second-year Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray will both be making their first NFL appearances in their home state.

The 41-year-old Kingsbury was a standout prep player in the late 1990s at a high school just north of San Antonio and later played and coached at Texas Tech. He was also the offensive coordinator at Texas A&M. The 23-yearold Murray was a phenom in the Dallas suburbs, winning three high school titles before a college career at Texas A&M and Oklahoma.

The two have bonded over their Texas background and speak highly of the state’s football scene, even if their playing careers were nearly two decades apart. Both say it’s a thrill to go back home despite COVID-19 restrictions that mean the crowd won’t be nearly as full or raucous as usual.

“He’s probably more anxious than me,” Murray said of Kingsbury, before poking fun at his age. “I’ve never actually seen his film or his high school tape. I heard it was on the news