GLENDALE, Ariz. — The Arizona Cardinals came into Sunday's game against the New York Jets knowing they needed a win to keep pace with the San Francisco 49ers and stay in first place in the NFC West.
The Cardinals (5-4) appear on their way to doing just that as they lead the Jets (3-6) 31-6 in the third quarter.
First half highlights
The Cardinals scored on every single one of their drives in the first half. James Conner opened the scoring on Sunday with a one-yard touchdown run that came after he appeared to score on a 45-yard pass from Kyler Murray, but the touchdown was overturned on replay.
On the Cardinals' next drive, Murray faked out the entire Jets defense and walked into the endzone untouched on a one-yard run.
That was followed up by Murray finding rookie Marvin Harrison Jr. in the back right corner of the endzone on a picture-perfect over-the-shoulder pass.
The Cardinals ended the half with a 37-yard field goal from Chad Ryland to make the lead 24-6.
Murray was fantastic in the first half, throwing for 199 yards. The Cardinals have only run the ball for 47 yards, a number that will go up if they continue to lead big in the second half.
Tight end Trey McBride also had a highlight-reel catch as he caught a pass from Murray, got a first down and then got some extra yards by hurdling a Jets defender.
The Cardinals' defense was stingy in the first half, as well, as they held Aaron Rodgers and the Jets offense to just 94 total yards and two field goals.
Arizona's secondary held Rodgers to just 40 passing yards and the Jets only ran the ball for 54 yards in the first half.
Second half highlights
The dominance continued in the second half, as Xavier Thomas forced Aaron Rodgers to fumble while sacking him as the Jets were in the Cardinals' red zone. The Cardinals recovered the ball, keeping the Jets from scoring.
The Cardinals then took the ball down the field on a 10-play drive that lasted six minutes and 20 seconds of game time and Murray capped it with a 12-yard touchdown run to put Arizona up 31-6, which would be the score at the end of the third quarter.
Cardinals safety Budda Baker ended the Jets next drive by sacking Rodgers, causing former Cardinal JJ Watt to chime in on X, formerly Twitter, saying, "(The) Arizona Cardinals are ROLLIN."
That was Baker's first sack since Jan. 2, 2022, according to PHNX Sports' Bo Brack.
Murray also set a franchise record in the second half, as he had a streak of 17 straight complete passes, breaking the record of 16, which was set over two games in 2017 by Carson Palmer, according to Cardinals senior vice president of media relations Mark Dalton.
The Cardinals took Murray out of the game with just more than 4:00 minutes left in the fourth quarter and replaced him with backup Clayton Tune.
The Cardinals won the game, 31-6, keeping their spot atop the NFC West and earning their fourth straight win.
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Arizona sports
The city of Phoenix is home to four major professional sports league teams; The NFL's Arizona Cardinals, NBA's Phoenix Suns, WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury and MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Cardinals have made State Farm Stadium in Glendale their home turf and the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix is home to both the Suns and the Mercury. The Indoor Football League’s Arizona Rattlers play at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale.
Phoenix also has a soccer team with the USL's Phoenix Rising FC, who play at Phoenix Rising FC Stadium in Phoenix.
The Valley hosts multiple major sporting events every year, including college football's Fiesta Bowl and Guaranteed Rate Bowl; the PGA Tour’s highest-attended event, the WM Phoenix Open; NASCAR events each spring and fall, including Championship Weekend in November; and Cactus League Spring Training for 15 Major League Baseball franchises.
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