Kyler Murray likely is gone for the season, leaving very little of interest behind

The Cardinals season was not lost on the third play of Monday night’s game when quarterback Kyler Murray’s right knee gave way as he tried to cut to avoid a tackler. That happened weeks ago.

But whatever interest remained in the 2022 season was carted off along with Murray, who left with a towel covering his head and face.

“Doesn’t look good,” said coach Kliff Kingsbury, who joined the Cardinals medical team around Murray on the field. “I’ve never seen him in that kind of shape, so I just knew it wasn’t good.”

It’s feared that Murray suffered a torn ACL, which means his season is over, which puts the beginning of next season in question.

Which means we won’t be able to see if he could salvage something in the final month of a brutal season, we won’t get to see him play with a healthy complement of receivers, and we won’t get to see if he could rediscover the ability to complete deep passes.

The only intrigue left is if General Manager Steve Keim and Kingsbury keep their jobs after this dog’s dinner of a season is over.

The 27-13 loss to the Patriots Monday dropped the Cardinals to a 4-9. They desperately need a feel-good story like the one playing out in San Francisco, where rookie quarterback Brock Purdy has taken over a Super Bowl contender. Or the one that played out last Thursday at SoFi Stadium when quarterback Baker Mayfield, a Ram for two days, led his new team on a 98-yard game-winning touchdown drive in the final minutes.

But that’s not coming for the Cardinals, who, like their fans, probably wish the season had a fast-forward button. This season has been an endless loop of offensive failures, defensive breakdowns, injuries, mistakes that have cracked every vertebrae in their backs, and poor coaching decisions.

To dissect just one area would be like vacuuming the house the day before renovation begins.

What’s the point?

Almost everything is wrong. Big things, small things and in-between things.

Murray, however, was a reason to watch. For those who love him. For those who hate him. And for the two people still on the fence.

Colt McCoy is a fine backup, but he’s the vintage pickup you keep around for when you have to haul stuff, not the vehicle you need to travel long distances.

That’s Murray’s role. He needed to play the rest of this season to try and at fix some of what’s went wrong the last 14 weeks. And while maybe not wildly entertaining, it would have been at least interesting to watch him try.

Like so many other games this season, the Cardinals could have won Monday. Maybe should have won. Even with Murray leaving on the third play of the game.

But they were doomed by mistakes, as is the case with most bad teams.

The first came near the end of the half when Kingsbury decided against a 50-yard field goal try and went for it on fourth-and-one from the Patriots 32-yard line. But McCoy’s pass attempt to tight end Trey McBride was a few inches too low, allowing it to be deflected by linebacker Jahlani Tavai.

The Patriots took over and kicked a field goal on the final play, and it was 13-10 Cardinals at halftime when it could have been 16-7.

Cardinals kicker Matt Prater had missed a 50-yard attempt earlier in the game. And he missed a 49-yarder in a loss to the Chargers two weeks ago. Asked if those misses factored in his decision to go for a first down, Kingsbury replied that he liked the play call in that situation.

A mistake by Cardinals receiver DeAndre Hopkins in the third quarter busted the game open. Hopkins caught a short pass and started running with the ball in one hand. Defensive back Kyle Dugger punched it out, and linebacker Raekwon McMillan returned it 23 yards for a touchdown to give the Patriots a 20-13 lead.

After the fumble, Hopkins took his gloves off and tossed them to the sideline, as if the gloves were at fault and not carrying the ball one-handed. Or maybe he thought they were cursed. Whatever, he took responsibility for it.

“The fumble, I think, hurt us more than anything,” Hopkins said.

A defensive touchdown was a huge bonus for the Patriots, who are nearly as bad on offense as the Cardinals. The Pats' “scheme” consisted mainly of simple runs and a variety of screens, which the Cardinals defended well, for a while.

The Patriots were counting on the Cardinals to make a costly mistake or two, and the Cardinals cooperated. Again. There was Hopkins’ fumble. Two illegal shift penalties that negated 30 yards of pass plays. A false start ruined another possession. The Patriots scored the final 20 points of the game.

“We’re not good enough to overcome some of the things we did tonight,” McCoy said. “That starts with me. There’s a lot of things I can do better. But we’ve got to lock in on the details and be sharp.”

But the Cardinals have done that all season. To tell the story of this season week by week, just cut and paste the name of the Cardinals opponent, especially if it’s a home game. The Cardinals have now lost 11 their last 12 games at State Farm Stadium.

When Bidwill makes a decision on the fate of Keim and Kingsbury, if he hasn't already, that's a statistic that's likely to stick in his throat.

Murray was one of the few reasons to still watch. Could he regain his chemistry with Hopkins? With receiver Hollywood Brown? What would the passing game look like with Murray, Hopkins, Brown and Rondale Moore all healthy?

It wasn’t much, but it was something. And now it’s gone. He’s gone.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: With Kyler Murray out, is there a reason to watch the Cardinals?