Kyler Murray's visits to medical tent Sunday are reminders how fleeting Arizona Cardinals' success can be

For Arizona Cardinals fans, the scariest possible sight this season is quarterback Kyler Murray entering the blue pop-up medical tent on the sideline.

With Murray, all things are possible, including winning the Cardinals winning their first Super Bowl.

Without Murray, this season would fold into practically nothing as quickly as the tent does after use.

Samples of both possibilities were evident early in the Cardinals 31-5 victory Sunday over the Houston Texans at State Farm Stadium.

Murray took a couple of shots to the head in the first quarter, including once when he was tackled in the end zone for a safety.

That sent him to the medical tent and Cardinals fans to their knees in fervent prayer.

Murray emerged quickly and led the Cardinals to a score on their next possession.

Murray visited the tent again early in the fourth quarter.

Murray again emerged after just a few minutes and the Cardinals again went on a scoring drive, although Murray didn’t have to do much on that one.

With a 31-5 lead, Murray should have left the game for good, but coach Kliff Kingsbury let him play one more series.

The Cardinals won, but the more important accomplishment Sunday was Murray appeared to have emerged only mildly scathed.

The Cardinals remain the NFL’s only unbeaten team and are 7-0 for the first time since 1974. Thursday's game against Green Bay (6-1) in Glendale is as good a matchup as can be had in the regular season.

The Cardinals were far from flawless against the woeful Texans (1-6). They trailed, 5-0, early in the second quarter, and the fears of those who viewed this as a “trap” game seemed to be coming to fruition.

But the Cardinals were too good to let that happen. Or the Texans were too bad. Or maybe both were true.

What Sunday’s game did prove is that when the Cardinals protect Murray and stay out of their own way, this team will be hard to beat.

No team has more threats on offense, especially with the addition of tight end Zach Ertz, obtained from the Eagles in a trade on Oct. 15.

The defense did what it has done all season. It gave a little here and there, but it again shut the door hard in the second half, holding the Texans scoreless. The Cardinals came into the game having allowed only 40 points in the second half this season, the fewest in the NFL.

The offense wasn't as good, but the Cardinals still scored more than 30 points for the sixth time this season.

And with Ertz, they showed they can be even better.

He made a sterling debut in Arizona, catching a 47-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter to give the Cardinals a 24-5 lead midway through the third quarter.

It came on a beautiful throw by Murray, who made several of them in the game. The best one came late in the first half when the Cardinals were faced with third-and-24 from the Texans 45-yard line.

With time to throw, which didn’t happen often enough Sunday, Murray lofted a perfect pass toward receiver A.J. Green. The ball cleared the cornerback playing zone coverage but was well in front of the safety near the goal line.

Green did his part, seeming to coast nonchalantly down the sideline. He didn’t raise his hands until the football was near them. The 41-yard catch set up a touchdown.

Despite the score, it was a bumpy afternoon for the Cardinals offense. The first two possessions were horrid. Murray was banged around more than he has been all season.

But it appears he emerged intact. And if that continues, the Cardinals might have some February football in their future.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona Cardinals get Kyler Murray health scares in rout of Texans