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Heading into the 2019 NFL season there are a number of high profile matchups that are exciting to look forward too.
Well, surprisingly the Arizona Cardinals are involved in one of the 17 most exciting matchups of 2019 according to Pro Football Focus.
WEEK 11: QB KYLER MURRAY, ARIZONA CARDINALS VS. NICK BOSA, SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
Murray versus Bosa has a number of far reaching implications.
First is the fact that everyone assumed in December and January the Arizona Cardinals would take Nick Bosa.
They obviously didn’t, so Murray has added pressure of making sure he shows up biggest in these games.
Yet, the expectations for both are sky high:
The Cardinals will be hoping that Murray is the driving force in getting the Cardinals moving in the right direction after determining that their first-round pick a season ago, Josh Rosen, was not. The 49ers will be hoping that Nick Bosa follows in the footsteps of his brother Joey and becomes one of the most disruptive pass-rushers in the NFL over the next decade. After all, those are the expectations that are set when you’re taken with one of the first two selections in the NFL draft.
What happens in this game and coming out of it could have a huge impact on the Rookie of the Year race for both players, but especially in the eyes of PFF who had them so closely rated.
Murray came in at first on the PFF Big Board and Bosa followed right behind at second overall. Murray is one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks to come out of college in some time and is one of only three quarterbacks since 2014 to record a passing and rushing grade over 80.0. His 93.7 passing grade last season ranks behind only his predecessor, Baker Mayfield, in the PFF College era. Similarly, Bosa dominated at the college level, posting an absurd 25.5 percent pass-rush win rate and a 93.6 career pass-rushing grade which trailed only Myles Garrett at the collegiate level since 2014. At this point in the season, both could be building their case in the Rookie of the Year race.
There are really high expectations for Murray heading into this season, yet the expectations for the Cardinals are low and that means not a lot to look forward too.
So, to see a national publication talking about a week 11 game for the Arizona Cardinals, that is at least a bit exciting... right?