The Arizona Cardinals suffered a tough loss last week against the Miami Dolphins and needed to redeem themselves heading into Week 10. The matchup against the Buffalo Bills this week would certainly not be an easy one for Murray and his offense or the Cardinals’ defense for that matter.
First Half
The Cardinals offense looked great as they received the kickoff to start the game. Kenyan Drake was back this week after missing a few games due to injury. Murray and Drake were able to run the ball down the field at a rather quick pace. Unfortunately, the offense couldn’t turn the drive into a touchdown, but Zane Gonzalez was good for a field goal, giving the Cardinals an early 3-0 lead. It was time to see the Cardinals’ defense perform against Josh Allen and his Bills.
Former Cardinal, John Brown, was ready to take on his former team in the valley, and he was already shining. He had a fantastic grab to put his team in great field position, which then led to a Josh Allen run for a touchdown. A very quick drive by the Bills resulted in a touchdown and extra point, 7-3.
Early in the second quarter, the Bills found themselves in scoring position yet again. With a made field goal, the Bills went up 10-3. The Cardinals’ defense seemed to be struggling against the talented Bill’s offense and needed to figure out a better method before they extended their lead any further. The Cardinals were struggling to find the endzone during their Week 10 matchup. Another drive down the field resulted in another Zane Gonzalez field goal, 10-6.
The battle of the field goals continued as the Buffalo Bills found themselves in yet another field goal position, 13-6 was the score late in the second quarter. With roughly a minute and a half remaining in the second quarter, the Cardinals were finally able to get in a touchdown scoring position. However, the Bills’ defense was too strong to allow that. Add one more Zane Gonzalez field goal to the board for a 13-9 score. The Buffalo Bills were able to find their way toward field goal position with four seconds on the clock. Another Tyler Bass field goal gave the Bills a 16-9 lead, heading into halftime.
Second Half
The game was beginning to look like a runaway game for the Buffalo Bills. Only about 5 minutes into the second half, Josh Allen found Cole Beasley for a 22-yard touchdown pass. A good extra point resulted in a 23-9 lead for the Bills.
Kyler Murray does not allow his team to give up even if there is a large point deficit. Murray brought his offense all the way to the endzone for their first touchdown of the day! Zane Gonzalez’s extra point cut the Bills lead, 23-16. The Bills were not able to score on their next possession and allowed the Cardinals offense another chance at scoring. The Cardinals were great about getting the ball down the field in today’s game but struggled to actually get in the end zone. Zane Gonzalez came out for another field goal, 23-19. The game was tightening and getting more and more exciting.
A turn of event occurred late in the third quarter. A rare Josh Allen interception to Patrick Peterson was the change in momentum the Cardinals needed. The offense came onto the field, and Kyler Murray ran to the endzone for his second rush touchdown of the day. A good extra point gave the Cardinals their first lead of the game, 26-23.
An unfortunate drive on the next possession for the Cardinals. Larry Fitzgerald caught the football as it bounced out of his hands into the arms of a Bills player, resulting in a turnover. Fortunately for the Cardinals, their defense was strong enough to hold the Bills on a scoreless drive.
The Bills’ next drive was a nightmare for them. Josh Allen threw his second interception of the game, which was great news for Kliff Kingsbury and the Cardinals. However, the Cardinals were not able to do anything with that turnover. The Bills received the ball back with 3:35 left to go in the game, plenty of time still.
With the two-minute warning and all their timeouts, the Buffalo Bills took full advantage of the time remaining. After a long drive, the Bills found the endzone. Allen to Diggs for a touchdown and a made extra point gave Buffalo a lead of 30-26 with only 0:34 left on the clock for the Cardinals to quickly drive.
Murray made a few short passes during the very short drive. Murray was scrambling to find a player open with only 11 seconds left. An unbelievable hail mary pass to the endzone was somehow caught by DeAndre Hopkins in triple coverage. Murray Magic was alive in State Farm Stadium tonight! The Arizona Cardinals advance to 6-3 after a 32-30 win over the Buffalo Bills. With a Seattle Seattle loss today, the Cardinals take the lead in the NFC West. A Thursday Night matchup against the Seahawks will be an amazing game later this week.
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