GREEN BAY – The play looked simple enough.
On the Cardinals' second snap from scrimmage last week in San Francisco, quarterback Kyler Murray executed a zone read from midfield, pulling the handoff away from running back James Conner and keeping it himself.
As Murray ran around the right side and turned the corner with the ball in his right arm, he had barely gained 10 yards when he raised his left arm in triumph. He knew he was scoring, and sure enough, he sprinted unbothered 50 yards for the touchdown.
"Ain't gonna lie, he was fast as hell for that one," rookie safety Javon Bullard said. "He threw up the deuces when he was like 40 yards out."
It's the type of play that's downright scary, because it looks so basic but quickly and easily can bust open thanks to the 5-foot-10 Murray's speed. Trusting each defender to execute his assignment is paramount, as in "who's got the dive, who's got the quarterback," Head Coach Matt LaFleur said.
"But certainly it's not like they're just majoring in zone read."
And therein lies the problem with a QB like Murray, an ultra-quick, elusive runner with a strong arm who's dangerous enough when he drops back to pass and starts scrambling around.
Throw in the designed runs, like on zone reads, and the problems multiply.
That's why at the start of the Packers' preparation for the Cardinals this week, the coaches put together a highlight reel of Murray making plays with his legs, scooting all over the field, dodging tacklers, and then taking off or letting rip a deep throw.
"There's one clip where he's running around and he ducks and three guys kind of run into each other like a Three Stooges episode," defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley said.
"Don't become a Stooge" doesn't exactly inspire as a rallying cry but the message is clear – with this guy, never assume any given snap is done.
"When the play is over, it's still going, you know what I mean?" Bullard said. "Plaster is alive."
"Plaster" is what defensive backs refer to as the coverage tactic when a QB begins to scramble. Find a receiver and stick to him. Any defender without someone to cover must keep his eyes on the QB.
The preference is to not let Murray scramble. Keep him in the pocket and try to collapse it around him. It's easier said than done. Anytime he runs, designed or improvised, he's averaging better than 10 yards per attempt this season.
The good news is when it comes to true dual-threat quarterbacks, who can run zone reads, fire rockets down the field or take off scrambling, the Packers have been preparing for them all season, beginning with the trip to Brazil in Week 1 to face Philly's Jalen Hurts. Indy's Anthony Richardson followed.
So preparing for a QB like Murray isn't some foreign defensive concept, and the Packers did well in the early weeks, particularly against Hurts, containing that mobility.
But Murray is a challenge all his own.
"In my opinion, both guys are dual threats, but Kyler's a little different," Bullard said. "We felt like Jalen was more of a pure passer with the ball in his hands, and he'd scramble when he had to, not necessarily when he wants to.
"Kyler on the other hand, when he scrambles, it's almost like he's looking to score."
The Packers know what they're in for.
"We better make sure we're on our stuff," defensive lineman Kenny Clark said. "Make sure we're disciplined and rush him smart."
More drama on deck?: The Packers and Cardinals don't meet often – just four times in the last decade – but the last three clashes have come down to, literally, the final seconds of the game.
In the 2015 NFC Divisional playoff at Arizona, the Packers tied the game on the final snap of regulation on QB Aaron Rodgers' 41-yard Hail Mary touchdown to Jeff Janis – who also had caught a 60-yard pass on fourth-and-20 from the Green Bay 4-yard line just a couple snaps earlier to keep the last-ditch drive alive. But the Cardinals responded with receiver Larry Fitzgerald's 75-yard catch-and-run on the first snap of overtime, setting up the game-deciding score two plays later.
In 2018 at Lambeau Field, the Packers trailed by three points with less than two minutes left and drove into field-goal range, only to have kicker Mason Crosby miss a 49-yarder on the final play of the 20-17 loss. A few hours later, Mike McCarthy's nearly 13-year tenure as Green Bay's head coach ended as he was fired.
In 2021 on a Thursday night road game in late October, the Cardinals were the league's last remaining unbeaten team at 7-0, taking on the 6-1 Packers. Green Bay led by three and had a chance to extend the lead with 3½ minutes left but was stopped on fourth-and-goal from the 1. The Cardinals drove the other way and faced second-and-goal from the 5 with just 15 seconds left when newly signed cornerback Rasul Douglas – who came to the Packers from the Cardinals' practice squad just a couple weeks prior – intercepted Murray in the end zone for a heart-stopping Green Bay win.
