As the Arizona Cardinals prepared for their Week 13 game against the Minnesota Vikings on December 1, 2024, Kyler Murray was exploring an abandoned CIA lab in eastern Kentucky. He entered the former CIA facility in search of a mysterious military bioweapon called the “Cradle.” After finding the Cradle, he accidentally ingested it, causing him to hallucinate.
Suddenly, zombies flooded the facility, chasing him from every direction. Murray darted into a room of mannequins, only for them to pursue him as soon as they left his line of sight. Then, a woman’s voice in his head tells him that a division of the CIA had stolen the rest of the Cradle and stored it in a Mediterranean casino.
Murray wasn’t actually in Kentucky during the week leading up to the Vikings-Cardinals game, of course. He was likely sitting in front of his TV in Glendale, Scottsdale, or Paradise Valley, playing Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 when he should have been preparing for Brian Flores’ Bengal Hawk blitz.
Four years ago, a Reddit poster discovered that Kyler Murray played worse in games that coincided with Call of Duty “double experience” weekends. In Call of Duty’s multiplayer mode, players compete online to rack up the most “kills” in the military shooter. On certain weekends, players get double the experience points, which lets them improve their weapons and gives them an edge over the competition.
Many athletes play video games. They’re a healthy way to relax after a tough game or hard practice. Professional athletes are naturally competitive and want to dominate a popular game that anyone with a console and internet connection can play.
However, Murray took things to another level. In response to his Call of Duty habit, the Cardinals implemented an “independent study” clause in his contract to encourage him to study tape before games instead of racking up experience points. Eventually, they removed the clause because it created a distraction. Still, it wasn’t a good look for their $230 million player, who they had taken first-overall in 2019 to be their franchise quarterback.
Murray is a two-time Pro Bowler who has spent seven seasons under center in Arizona. He has also continued playing Call of Duty, partnering with them ahead of the release of Black Ops 6 in 2024.
To the trolls who memed me into a bag, thank you!
I’m officially launching my @CallofDuty partnership! #CODPartnership #TheReplacer #BlackOps6 pic.twitter.com/JwpZKxSzYo
— Kyler Murray (@K1) October 7, 2024
Minnesota beat Murray and the Cardinals 23-22 in 2024, during a stretch in which the Vikings went 5-0 but barely won each game.
The Vikings had lost to the Detroit Lions and the Los Angeles Rams after their Week 6 bye, a harbinger of what was to come. Then they nearly lost to Joe Flacco and the Indianapolis Colts. The clock appeared to have struck midnight on Sam Darnold in Jacksonville. Minnesota also played poorly in Nashville and went into overtime in Chicago.
Murray and the Cardinals could have beaten the Vikings on that December weekend. Aaron Jones fumbled on Minnesota’s first play from scrimmage, and then again on the first play of their second drive.
However, Murray threw interceptions and no touchdowns in the loss. Brian Flores’ exotic blitzes probably looked like a mob of zombies chasing after him. Andrew Van Ginkel and Jonathan Greenard probably haunted him as he dropped back, even when Arizona’s offensive linemen held them at the line of scrimmage. Jonathan Gannon probably had plenty to say in his headset.
Murray’s video game habit isn’t the only issue. It’s that he’s a 5’10”, 207 lb. quarterback who only played in five games last year and eight two years ago. Minnesota’s incumbent, 6’3”, 219 lb. J.J. McCarthy has a slight frame and has played only 10 games over two seasons.
Murray should play in a read-option system that emphasizes his speed while getting the ball out of his hands early, as Tua Tagovailoa did in Miami. It would capitalize on his speed and require fewer reads and less throwing from the pocket.
However, Kevin O’Connell’s explosive-based offense requires a quarterback who can push the ball down the field. He must make multiple reads at the line of scrimmage and stand in the pocket long enough to process multiple reads. Murray is a fit for many teams; he’s not in Minnesota.
Forget Black Ops 6 and the Bengal Hawk blitz for a second. The Vikings need a different kind of quarterback. One who will push J.J. McCarthy to reach his potential or can take over if he doesn’t perform in camp. A veteran hand who can rock the cradle. Not one who ingests it.