Patriots linebacker Raekwon McMillan was just trying to do his job, making sure teammate Kyle Dugger faced a routine. Suddenly he saw a football on the ground.
McMillan scooped it up and ran 23 yards for a touchdown, giving the Patriots the lead in a 27-13 win over the Arizona Cardinals on Monday night after a potentially serious knee injury to quarterback Kyler Murray in the first quarter. left. lost to,
McMillan said of his mindset, “Looking back, it was just me and a lineman.” “If I can’t beat a lineman, I don’t deserve to be here.”
New England (7–6) was trailing 13–10 at the break but tied the game at 13 after a short field goal early in the third quarter. A few minutes later, the Patriots got their game-changing play and a 20–13 lead when McMillan snatched a loose ball from the grass and ran toward the end zone to score a touchdown of his own.
Dugar forced a turnover by sacking three-time All-Pro receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who had just caught a pass. “I try to be perfect. I let myself down,” Hopkins said. “Let the coach down, let the people down. I haven’t fumbled all year. It’s definitely a reminder to save the ball.”
The Patriots extended their advantage to 27–13 early in the fourth quarter on Pierre Strong Jr.’s three-yard run, then leaned on their defense to seal a much-needed victory. New England’s defense had six sacks, including three by linebacker Josh Uche.
Mac Jones threw for 235 yards and went 24 for 35 as New England (7-6) broke a two-game losing streak to solidify their AFC playoff position.
Patriots center David Andrews said after the game, “A lot [of] things are going to change for everybody these next four weeks.” “You start looking at [the playoffs] and you’re going to slip something up.” Arizona (4-9) has lost five of six games, including the last three.
Murray was injured on the third play of the night, which immediately changed the complexion of the game. The fourth-year quarterback was forced out of the pocket and running to his right when he tried to juke behind a Patriots defender but fell to the grass in obvious pain. Players from both teams surrounded the quarterback before he was carried off the field with a towel wrapped around his head.
Colt McCoy, 36, has proved an able replacement for Murray over the past two seasons, with a 3-2 mark in Monday’s game when Murray was injured. He worked his magic again – at least for a while – leading the Cardinals to a 13–10 halftime lead. “We’ve struggled with injuries all year,” McCoy said. “The people who are going to go there are going to fight till the very end. I don’t think you could ask for anything more and I would be proud to lead them.
The Cardinals took a 3–0 lead early in the second quarter after a 33-yard field goal by Matt Prater. They had good field position for the drive after Isaiah Simmons intercepted a pass from Jones, who was hit on the arm by rookie Cam Thomas as he was throwing.
James Conner
forced his way to a 10-yard touchdown run late in the second quarter, breaking several tackles to give the Cardinals a 13–7 lead. Conner finished with a team-high 85 yards rushing. The Patriots scored their only touchdown of the first half when rookie Kevin Harris ran 14 yards into the end zone.
Arizona’s recent hopes as a franchise revolve around the development of Murray, who was taken with the No. 1 overall pick out of Oklahoma in 2019. The quarterback’s fourth year has already been a tough one. Murray signed a $230.5m contract during the off-season that could have kept him with the franchise until 2028, but only then began a steady stream of unwanted headlines.
The two-time Pro Bowl selection drew much ridicule after discovering his new contract required at least four hours of “independent study” during game weeks, which was unusual for an NFL quarterback. The clause was later dropped, but his reputation was damaged.
Kyler Murray has been carried off the field after suffering a non-contact injury. Photograph: Michael Chow/USA TODAY Sports
Murray battled Covid-19 during training camp, which kept him out for nearly a week, and recently drew criticism from former teammate Patrick Peterson, who said on his “All Things Covered” podcast that “Kyler Murray No one cares, but Kyler is dead.
Now he must deal with the most serious injury of his professional career, with ESPN’s Josh Vanfus reporting Murray will have an MRI scan on a suspected torn ACL. He had thrown for 2,359 yards, 14 touchdowns, and seven interceptions through 10 games before Monday’s injury.
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