Patriots linebacker Raekwon McMillan was once merely looking to do his task, operating over to verify teammate Kyle Dugger made the take on on a regimen play. Suddenly, he noticed a soccer at the flooring.
McMillan scooped it up and ran 23 yards for the landing, giving the Patriots the go-ahead rating in a 27–13 win on Monday night time over the Arizona Cardinals, who misplaced beginning quarterback Kyler Murray within the first quarter to a probably critical knee damage. .
“I looked back, saw it was just me and a lineman,” McMillan stated of his mindset when scooping up the fumble. “If I can’t beat a lineman, then I don’t deserve to be out here.”
New England (7-6) trailed 13-10 on the destroy however tied the sport at 13-all early within the 3rd quarter after a brief box objective. A couple of mins later, the Patriots were given their game-changing play and a 20-13 lead later when McMillan scored his landing, snatching the unfastened ball off the grass and sprinting towards the tip zone.
Kyle Dugger pressured a turnover by way of stripping Cardinals three-time All-Pro receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who had simply stuck a cross. “I you ought to be very best. I let myself down,” Hopkins said. “Let the coach down, let the guys down. I haven’t fumbled all year. It is definitely a reminder to protect the ball.
The Patriots pushed their advantage to 27–13 early in the fourth quarter on Pierre Strong Jr’s three-yard run, then leaned on their defense to complete the much-needed win. New England’s defense had six sacks, including three by linebacker Josh Uche.
Mac Jones threw for 235 yards and finished 24 for 35 with an interception as New England (7-6) snapped a two-game losing skid to strengthen their AFC playoff positioning.
“There’s going to be a lot [of] change over these next four weeks for everybody, that’s just how it goes,” the Patriots heart David Andrews stated after the sport. “You start looking at (the playoffs) and you’ll let something slip away.” Arizona (4-9) has misplaced 5 of six video games, together with the remaining 3.
Murray was once harm at the 3rd play of the night time, right away replacing the complexion of the sport. The fourth-year quarterback was once flushed out of the pocket and operating to his proper when he attempted to juke previous a Patriots defender, however tumbled to the grass in obtrusive ache. Players from each groups surrounded the quarterback ahead of he was once carted off the sector with a towel draped over his head.
The 36-year-old Colt McCoy has confirmed a succesful substitute for Murray over the last two seasons, entering Monday’s recreation with a 3-2 mark when Murray was once injured. He labored his magic once more—a minimum of for some time—main the Cardinals to a 13-10 halftime lead. “We’ve battled injuries all year long,” McCoy stated. “The guys which are going to move in there are going to battle until the very finish. I do not believe there may be to any extent further you’ll be able to ask for and I will be able to be proud to move lead them.”
The Cardinals took a 3–0 lead early in the second quarter following a 33-yard field goal by Matt Prater. They had good field position for the drive after Isaiah Simmons intercepted a pass from Jones, who was hit on the arm by rookie Cam Thomas as he was throwing.
James Conner bulldozed his way forward for a 10-yard touchdown late in the second quarter, breaking multiple tackles to give the Cardinals a 13–7 lead. Conner finished with a team-high 85 yards rushing. The Patriots scored their lone touchdown of the first half when rookie Kevin Harris ran 14 yards to the end zone.
Arizona’s recent hopes as a franchise have revolved around the development of Murray, who was taken with the No. 1 overall pick out of Oklahoma in 2019.
The quarterback’s fourth year has already been a tough one. Murray signed a $230.5m contract during the offseason that could keep him with the franchise until 2028, but that was when a steady stream of unwanted headlines started.
The two-time Pro Bowl selection took a lot of ridicule after it was discovered his new contract mandated at least four hours of “unbiased find out about” during game weeks, which was unusual for an NFL quarterback. The clause was later removed, but the damage to his reputation was done.
Murray also battled a bout of Covid-19 during training camp that kept him out for about a week and recently took criticism from former teammate Patrick Peterson, who said on his “All Things Covered” podcast that “Kyler Murray do not care about no person however Kyler Murray.
Now he has to maintain what may well be probably the most critical damage of his skilled occupation, with ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss reporting Murray could have an MRI scan on a suspected torn ACL. He had thrown for two,359 yards, 14 touchdowns and 7 interceptions thru 10 video games ahead of Monday’s damage.