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The Arizona Cardinals will continue to have Jacoby Brissett play under center — at least for the next four weeks.
Kyler Murray, the team’s franchise quarterback, was placed on injured reserve with a sprained metatarsal he’s been dealing with since Week 5.
Head coach Jonathan Gannon, who watched Brissett lead his Arizona team to its first win since Week 2 on “Monday Night Football” against the Dallas Cowboys, said it was a “collective decision” to let Murray go on IR. He added that the injury is not season-ending and that he hopes Murray can make a full recovery this year.
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Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) warms up before the game against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. (Jerome Miron/Imagn Images)
“I really do,” he said, via ESPN. “We’ve got a lot of ball to play, and one day at a time. And where he sits right now, he’s got to pour into his health bucket and get ready to get healthy.”
While it’s never good for a franchise quarterback to land on IR, the Cardinals can’t complain after seeing what Brissett did against the Cowboys on Monday night. Dallas’ porous defense was exploited by the veteran running back, who threw for 261 yards and two touchdowns with a 115.1 passer rating in the 27-17 victory.
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The Cardinals are now 3-5 on the year, and things could be very different if one of their one-score games during the five-game losing streak they just snapped had gone their way. It’s unfortunately the nature of the NFL, but the Cardinals know they have the right guy at the helm to get the job done until Murray returns.
Jacoby Brissett of the Arizona Cardinals throws against the Dallas Cowboys during the first quarter of the game at AT&T Stadium on November 3, 2025 in Arlington, Texas. (Sam Hodde/Getty Images)
Looking at the schedule, the Cardinals could have Murray back in Week 14 when they face their NFC West foe, the Los Angeles Rams. This obviously wasn’t what Gannon and the rest of the team wanted to see from Murray’s injury, although he acknowledged the reasonable assessment that the former first overall pick’s running ability could prolong the situation because of how he plays the game.
“For him, it obviously prevents him from being fully healthy to play, and him, as the person that he is and the player that he is, yes,” Gannon explained. “And you could look at other things, like this injury for other people maybe not, but he’s played through some things, like other positions, if they have them, they can’t play with them because of what they’re asked to do.”
Arizona faces some tough opponents over the next four games, starting with a road trip to Seattle to face the NFC West-leading Seahawks on Sunday. The Cardinals then return home for back-to-back games against the San Francisco 49ers and Jacksonville Jaguars before hitting the road for a matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ahead of the Dec. 7 Rams game where Murray could return.
Kyler Murray #1 of the Arizona Cardinals watches from the sidelines before an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams at State Farm Stadium on November 26, 2023 in Glendale, Arizona. (Ryan Kang/Getty Images)
It’s a tough ask for Brissett to take over and lead the Cardinals now given their 3-5 record. But that’s the nature of being a backup quarterback — when your number is called, you have to deliver.
Brissett did that on Monday night, and it will be up to him to continue to provide that offensive spark for the next month.
