The Arizona Cardinals have issues with the offense. Most are pointing at OC Drew Petzing as the problem. Others mention the lack of talent along the offensive line. The most obvious is when both starting
running backs became injured and subsequently missed multiple games. Some folks are blaming the lack of production from the receiver corps.
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For the past two games, the quarterback situation changed when starter Kyler Murray went down with an ankle injury. In his place, seasoned veteran and career backup Jacoby Brissett has stepped in. Although the Cardinals lost both games, the offense has changed.
Under Murray, Arizona’s offense has scored 20, 27, 15, 20, and 21 points. With Brissett under center, they have 27 and 23 points, respectively.
Total offense under Murray? 276, 293, 260, 253, and 360. Brissett: 400 and 330.
Third down conversions with Murray? 6-13; 3-9; 5-15; 6-15, and 7-16. Brissett: 9-14 and 7-14.
In five games, Murray has tossed six touchdowns, three interceptions, and 50 passes for first-down conversions, while in just two contests, Brissett has thrown for four TDs, one pick, and 30 first-down conversions.
And as usual, the Cards had the lead late in the fourth quarter, only to lose again. So, that much hasn’t changed despite who the signalcaller was. After just a two-game sampling, many NFL analysts have come in to voice their support for how Brissett has played, mainly noting that the offense has been able to drive up and down the field.
Keep in mind, Brissett has the reputation of being a career backup quarterback in the league. He has played in 91 games with 55 starts. During the 2022 season, while with the Cleveland Browns, Brissett was signed to direct the team while their new starting QB, Deshaun Watson, was on an 11-game suspension. He is known to be of quality depth until the starter becomes injured.
Brissett has a notable fan. Former Cardinals QB Kurt Warner recently went on the “PHNX Cardinals Podcast” and spoke highly of the career backup.
Warner stated:
“There are a few backups in this league that can be starters in the NFL. I am a believer that Jacoby Brissett is one of those guys.”
The thought process is that by changing the quarterback, it changes the narrative of whether the offensive struggles are tied to Murray being under center. With Brissett at the helm for just two games, that has somehow altered the equation.
And Brissett is a master of getting a yard in the QB sneak.
Back to the Browns’ 2022 season, Cleveland’s offense was scoring a lot of points. Brissett had 324 yards against the Buffalo Bills. He tossed for 278 yards in a win over the Cincinnati Bengals. But when Watson returned to action, Brissett barely saw the field the remainder of the schedule.
Warner continued:
“Brissett has obviously been in that role before. But he is one of those guys. The first thing we have to recognize here is that the Cardinals are fortunate to have a backup who is a really good football player.”
There is a lot of negativity regarding Petzing and his play calling, but Brissett has thrived in his system, and the tape shows it.
“He understands how to play the position. And so, when you plug him in, he’s not a guy who will keep the seat warm to play a game or two. This is a guy who could be starting in this league at a few places that are struggling at that spot. And so, he’s come in and given them that kind of leadership.”
The big question then looms: when Murray is healthy enough to play, should the Cardinals supplant him with Brissett, as Warner indicates?
Many times, the answer is not based on field production, but on money.
Arizona is paying Murray over $50 million and won’t be able to offload his contract till 2027 to avoid dead money in the cap space. The team has invested so much capital in Murray to simply sit him.
Warner got his opportunity when the starting QB went down, and as the backup, he was inserted. When the starter returned healthy, Warner had already set the wheels in motion for him to remain in place. And the rest is history.
However, Warner’s St. Louis Rams were winning. Brissett has yet to win a game for Arizona. If he were 2-0-0 with huge offensive numbers and Murray was ready to return, then maybe, just maybe, this would become a difficult decision for the coaching staff.
Despite Warner’s backing, most likely Brissett will return to his career backup position.
