'Know who we're hunting': Bills defense prepares for Cardinals QB Kyler Murray
Murray is entering his sixth year in the NFL. This will be his second meeting with the Bills. The Arizona offense contains plenty of unknowns heading into Week 1, but the Buffalo defense knows much of its game plan will center on Murray.
Taron Johnson thinks back to the last time these two teams met. As the Buffalo Bills nickel cornerback prepares for Week 1, he remembers what it is like to face Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray. He looks back to 2020.
“I’ve played him, so I remember how it was, and how explosive, how he scrambles and stuff like that,” Johnson said.
Defensive tackle Ed Oliver thinks back even further.
“You know, I’ve been playing him since high school. He’s a very electric player,” Oliver said. “They beat the brakes off us. For real.”
At the time, Oliver could tell Murray was going to evolve into a special player. The two Texas natives will go up against each other again Sunday.
Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray prepares for a wild-card playoff game against the Los Angeles Rams in January 2022. Marcio Jose Sanchez
When it comes to slowing Murray, the Bills know they have a challenge.
Murray is entering his sixth year in the NFL. This will be his second meeting with the Bills. The Arizona offense contains plenty of unknowns heading into Week 1, but the Buffalo defense knows much of its game plan will center on Murray.
“Just specifically, just making sure that we’re affecting him by how we’re rushing,” Johnson said. “And even if we have a chance to sack him, just making sure we’re coming to balance and not just running straight through, because he makes a lot of people miss.”
Murray’s elusiveness will also depend on the status of his knee. In 2022, Murray tore his ACL, ending his season after 11 games. He returned to the field on Nov. 12, 2023, playing eight games last season.
Bills pass rusher Von Miller, who knows Murray and his family from Texas A&M ties, can see the quarterback having more of an impact this year, now that he has had more time to recover.
“I remember when he tore his ACL, I hit him up and just gave him some words of encouragement whenever he went through his deal,” Miller said. “And it’s 2024, guys bounce back from ACLs all the time. It might take a little bit longer, but guys come back from them these days.”
In eight games last season, Murray threw for 1,799 yards and 10 touchdowns, with a completion percentage of 65.7%. On the ground, the dual-threat quarterback picked up another 244 yards and three touchdowns on 44 carries.
Bills head coach Sean McDermott knows that Murray can test Buffalo in multiple ways, whether it’s with his arm, designed runs or the way he scrambles. The team is preparing accordingly.
“He’s explosive,” linebacker Terrel Bernard said of Murray. “I think they do a really good job running the ball. Physical run game. And when they want to throw the ball, he can take shots deep. He knows coverages. He can read coverages well. He’s got a strong arm.
“And, obviously, his scrambling ability, everybody knows how well he can run with the ball. So, we’re going to have to be really sound in our rush lanes and affecting him in the pocket and trying to keep him in the pocket. And then when he gets out, having all 11 guys get to the ball.”
Added cornerback Rasul Douglas: “Just a mobile quarterback. We’ve just got to make sure to keep him in the pocket as much as we can. Got a good arm – baseball player – good arm, can throw. Just treating him like a running quarterback. A running quarterback that can pass.”
The Bills have leaned on an acronym this week as a reminder of how to handle Murray.
“We call it MQF – mobile quarterback fundamentals,” defensive end A.J. Epenesa said. “It’s just: Know your opponent, know who we’re facing, know who we’re hunting. … Obviously, we know after a certain amount of time, he’s going to start looking to escape.”
When Murray does, the Bills need to be ready.
“It’s about us just being disciplined, staying with our rush lanes,” Epenesa said. “Say Ed’s high on the rush, I’ve gotta feel that he’s there, cover him up – rush together is basically our mindset.”
Defensive coordinator Bobby Babich knows Murray is not alone in the multiple ways he can be lethal.
“He can beat you in a lot of ways, and that’s the trend the NFL is going, and that’s the way the NFL is going,” Babich said. “And he does a nice job in every facet of the game, and it seems like he’s in control of the offense.”
The Bills have a mobile quarterback of their own in house. Johnson thinks going up against Josh Allen in training camp and in practice has benefited the Bills as they prepare for Murray. While the two players have different styles of running, there’s still been lessons to glean from facing Allen.
“For sure. I mean, having a mobile quarterback in practice definitely helps us get ready for the games,” Johnson said. “So having him all training camp definitely helps.”
And more than 2,100 miles away in Arizona, second-year head coach Jonathan Gannon and the Cardinals are finding ways to prepare for Allen, as well.
“The first thing I think is just, you’ve gotta be very aware of your rush mechanics because of his ability to extend plays and get out of the pocket,” Gannon told Arizona media. “So really that. Whether you’re three-man, four-man, five-man, six-man, seven-man (rush), you’ve gotta be detailed out with who’s doing what, who’s responsible for what, and you’ve gotta rush together very well.
“Because it does you no good to have one guy win a one-on-one, and then he escapes through a B gap or an A gap or out the backdoor, and it’s kind of wasting the rush if the other guys aren’t coordinated with that. So, any time you’re playing a mobile quarterback, that’s always the first thing that comes to my mind is rush mechanics.”
In a game of inches, Cardinals defensive coordinator Nick Rallis knows Allen can snag extra yards if Arizona slips up.
“We have to take good angles, we have to wrap up and get him to the ground because he’s a load to bring down and he fights for the extra yard, or if he’s in the pocket to stay up and still get that pass downfield,” Rallis said.