Murray’s injury, a torn ACL, is the worst part of Cards’ loss to Patriots

GLENDALE, AZ (AP) — The Arizona Cardinals stagnated offensively, had two turnovers that led to touchdowns, and struggled against New England’s pass rush. That wasn’t even the worst part of their 27-13 loss to the Patriots on Monday night.

Quarterback Kyler Murray was carted off the field after going down without being hit on the game’s third play, suffering a torn knee injury that could further derail Arizona’s middling season. Early Tuesday, Murray confirmed what the sports world had feared, a torn ACL. “I’ve never seen him in that kind of shape, so it doesn’t look good,” Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury said.

The Cardinals (4-9) have been dogged by injuries all season, but had Murray, running back James Conner, receivers DeAndre Hopkins and Marquise Brown healthy at the same time for just the second time. That quickly changed.

Flushed out of the pocket, Murray took off to the right and tried to juke a Patriots defender. The fourth-year quarterback’s knee buckled and he fell to the turf in obvious pain. Players from both teams surrounded Murray before he was carted off the field holding a towel to his face. “It hurts,” said Hopkins, who lost a fumble that was returned for a touchdown. “Kyler put a lot into this preparing. I hate it for him.”

Murray had been dynamic at times since the Cardinals took him with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2019 NFL draft. Arizona’s offense will likely be in the hands of Colt McCoy, who has spent most of his 12-year career as a backup.

McCoy was solid in two starts while Murray was out with a hamstring earlier this season, going 1-1 while throwing for a combined 456 yards and a touchdown with an interception. He threw for 246 yards on 27-of-40 passing with an interception against New England and was sacked six times. “I’ve played for a long time and you always have to be ready,” McCoy said. “You never want to see the guy in front of you go down. You just don’t.”

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