Kyler Murray’s wildcard meltdown proved costly as the Cardinals were thrashed by the Rams

Once tipped to be crowned the regular season MVP as he spearheaded the Arizona Cardinals to an impressive 7-0 start, few would have expected Kyler Murray to be blinded by the bright lights of the playoffs. However, he was like a deer in the headlights at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles as the Cardinals were tarred and feathered by the Rams. The third-year quarterback threw 3,787 yards for 24 touchdowns in the newly extended regular season, boasting an impressive rating of 100.6. The wildcard match was the opportunity for him to really prove his worth and have his name thrown into the mix amongst the best QBs in the NFL. But, in a very strange turn of events, things couldn’t have gone much worse for Murray in LA. Already up against it in the betting online due to the Rams having home-field advantage, the Cardinals really needed their quarterback to pull the strings and move the chains at this year’s Super Bowl venue. However, Murray struggled from start to finish and he was barely able to get a drive going in a performance that was truly hard to watch. In fact, unfortunately for the 24-year-old, it’s perhaps one of the worst quarterback performances you can expect to see in the playoffs this year — if not, in the years to come. Murray finished the game with a passing line of 19 of 34 (55.9% CMP) for a mere 137 yards, two interceptions and an embarrassing 40.9 passer rating as the Cardinals lost 34-11. The most excruciating moment of the evening for Murray though had to be his pick six. Already 14-0 down, the Cardinals were faced with a third-and-seven deep inside their own territory. The quarterback received the hike in his end zone, but held onto the ball for far too long before opting for an underarm throw to avoid the sack and subsequent safety. However, the questionable pass was picked by the Rams’ cornerback David Long on the three-yard line for a touchdown. "It's disappointing that we didn't make it a game and come out and play the football we know we're capable of playing, that's really the most disappointing part," Murray said postgame. "Losing is one thing, but when you don't even make it competitive, it's another thing. "I put a lot on my shoulders, put a lot on myself and to dream of this moment and then be in the playoffs, the first game of the playoffs and then to play the way I did, to play the way we did, it's, like I said, disappointing." It’s easy to point the finger at Murray now due to his performance in the wildcard match, but really the blame should fall on the whole squad and not just the quarterback. Things haven’t exactly been soaring for the Cardinals since they went 7-0. In fact, they lost six of their remaining 10 games, including some embarrassing defeats to the Detroit Lions, the Indianapolis Colts and the Seattle Seahawks in the closing stages of the season. It is the second season in a row Kliff Kingbury’s men have collapsed down the home straight, but this time it is on a grander scale as the meltdown culminated on one of the biggest stages of them all — a wildcard game on Monday Night Prime Time. Murray isn’t the first, and he certainly won’t be the last, quarterback to disappoint in a playoff. He and the Cardinals have a long offseason to lick their wounds and dust themselves down to get ready to go again. Even in their failures, they have progressed massively over the last couple of seasons, becoming more favored in the free tips, one more meltdown isn’t going to change that.