GLENDALE, Ariz. - Kyler Murray did Kyler Murray-like things in the fourth quarter of his NFL debut Sunday against the Detroit Lions.
And it led to a dramatic 27-27 tie.
Murray led the Cardinals back from an 18-point deficit to tie the game with 43 seconds left in the fourth quarter to force overtime. Once in the extra period, Murray led the Cardinals quickly down the field but the offense stalled at the 10, settling for a field goal. Detroit matched the kick, setting Murray up for a potential game-winning, which did not develop.
Murray, who finished with 308 yards, two touchdowns and an interception on 29-for-54 passing, orchestrated the comeback with a dazzling fourth quarter that included his first two NFL touchdown passes, a display of his renowned accuracy, impressive footwork and a command of coach Kliff Kingsbury's much-anticipated offense.
He was much less effective through the opening three quarters, throwing for 100 yards and an interception on 9-for-25 passing.
Then Murray turned it on. He went 15-for-19 passing for 154 yards and two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, leading the Cardinals back from a 24-6 deficit.
He hit running back David Johnson for a 27̄-yard touchdown pass with 6:04 left in regulation to bring Arizona within 24-16. On the game-tying drive late in the fourth quarter, Murray hit wide receiver KeeSean Johnson on a nearly side-armed throw. On the next play, Murray ran out of the bounds, gaining nine yards, but showcasing the extent of his quick and nimble his footwork.
Murray relied on both Larry Fitzgerald and David Johnson heavily late in Sunday's game.
Johnson had 58 all-purpose yards in the fourth quarter, including 40 receiving, while Fitzgerald had five catches for 59 yards, including the game-tying touchdown catch on a rollout by Murray. The Cardinals all but replicated the play on the two-point conversion to Christian Kirk that tied the game at 24.
But for the first three-and-a-half quarters, Murray was unable to lead the Cardinals into the end zone.
He got close a few times.
With 1:19 left in the second quarter, the Cardinals had possession at the Lions 2, but Murray couldn't turn the corner on a run right and then threw an incompletion to force the Cardinals to settle for a field goal, their first points of the game. At that point, they trailed 17-3.
Murray also led the Cardinals to the Lions 24 and 16 in consecutive drives at the end of the third and beginning of the fourth quarters, but both resulted in a field goal.
Murray said earlier in the week that he had heard regular-season football was different than the preseason. He figured it out quickly. He had four passes batted down, including one late in overtime, and was sacked three times in the first half and five overall.
He tried to use his mobility to escape pressure but wasn't able to evade defenders for long. He was sacked in the second quarter on a second-and-seven play after outrunning two Lions. But he couldn't avoid the third, Lions linebacker Devon Kennard, who got the sack.
They went three-and-out four times in the first half and five times overall, gaining just 58 yards in the first half.
The offense showed much of what was expected: three, four and five receiver sets; no-huddle; tempo; designed runs for Murray. But early in the game, none of it was effective.
Murray was 1-for-6 on throws more than 10 yards downfield for 12 yards with an interception, according to ESPN Stats & Information. He had two drop backs against the blitz in the first two quarters. He was sacked on one and intercepted on the other. And when the Cardinals went with an empty set, meaning no running back on the field, Murray was 0-for-6 without a sack.
It got to a point where fans inside State Farm Stadium began booing each subsequent three-and-out.