The Cardinals won’t be particularly polished in Week 5. They may not be the better part of the 2019 season, but with Kyler Murray, the potential for big plays is significant.
That will make a difference on Sunday. The big-play potential at Paul Brown Stadium won’t be with the home team. That’s not to say a trick play doesn’t find its way into the game plan (more on that later), but while Murray and head coach Kliff Kingsbury are trying to figure it out, his running ability will allow some big things to happen on the field.
That will be difficult for the Cincinnati Bengals defense. It remains to be seen if the Cardinals take any cues from what happened in Week 4 when the Steelers managed to use a variety of short passes to move the football. The Steelers deployed a “death by 1,000 cuts” to assist Mason Rudolph. It also worked in the 27-3 Monday night win.
If it boils down to playmakers, this may be the one advantage Arizona has. While the Bengals don’t have any, the Cardinals have two in Larry Fitzgerald and Murray. In Week 5, while the Bengals struggle to essentially reboot, Murray might be able to make the big plays to give Arizona the best chance.