The Arizona Cardinals shut down a potential quarterback controversy ahead of Week 10 when coach Jonathan Gannon announced that Jacoby Brissett, and not Kyler Murray, will start Sunday at Seattle. A day later, Murray was placed on injured reserved.
“Kyler will keep working on his health bucket,” Gannon said Tuesday. “I do like what the offense is doing right now, we’ve operated well and we’ll go from there.”
Brissett has fit like a glove in the Cardinals’ offense through three games this season playing in place of Murray, who has been sidelined with a foot injury since Week 6. The timetable for Murray’s recovery is between 4-8 weeks, ESPN reported, to lessen the chance of re-aggravating the injury until it properly heals.
Brissett, a West Palm Beach native who played for five organizations before signing with the Cardinals in March, has a 102.5 quarterback rating, throwing for 860 yards with six touchdowns and just one interception in three games.
Arizona snapped a five-game losing streak last Monday night, beating the Dallas Cowboys 27-17 on the road in large part due to the performance of Brissett, who completed 21 of 31 passes for 262 yards and two touchdowns, along with one rushing score.
“There’s some things to clean up, but I did think that we put it together for what we needed to for sixty minutes in all three phases, that was good to see, that was a good win,” Gannon said.
Brissett has averaged 286 yards through the air per game with a 7.7 average of yards per pass attempt compared to Murray, who is averaging 192 yards per game with a 6.0 average of yards per pass attempt.
The win over Dallas was important for a Cardinals team that came in reeling, losing by a combined 13 points across five games. The inglorious streak also featured Arizona losing on three straight walk-off field goals with time expired and three straight games holding a seven-point lead or more heading into the fourth quarter, both of which are NFL records.
“I think all 11 are doing a good job. We’re doing the things that are needed to move the ball and stay on the field and score points, that has been good to see,” Gannon said. “As we’ve put up some numbers here now, you would say you should have a chance to win the game when you put up over what the points we’ve been putting up.”
One area the Cardinals’ offense improved upon is their third-down conversions, with the team going 7 for 13 on third down against the Cowboys.
“I think it’s a couple different things, certainly the yard to gain is a big part of it, and that’s something we always talk about staying on schedule and putting yourself in third and manageable,” offensive coordinator Drew Petzing said Tuesday.
A promising aspect that has emerged for Arizona’s offense since Brissett took over has been his connection with tight end Trey McBride, with the pair combining for four touchdowns in three games. McBride has already surpassed his total touchdown count from last season, which was two.
what a way to start the half 🤩
McBride for 6! pic.twitter.com/61ayaOvXd9
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) November 4, 2025
Even without Murray landing on the IR, Brissett may have earned another starting opportunity anyway with the way he has commanded the offense over the last month, with the Cardinals scoring 23 or more points in his last three starts.
“He’s playing at a high level,” Petzing said. “(We’ve) got to with the guys that are healthy in the games and we’re excited about where we’re at and ready to go,” Petzing said.
Brissett signed a two-year, $12.5 million contract with the Cardinals earlier this year, and with the status of Murray’s health in question, Brissett has garnered the respect and trust of the coaching staff and locker room with his recent play to remain the starting quarterback for the foreseeable future.
Arizona now faces a tall task traveling to the Pacific Northwest Sunday to take on the division rival Seattle Seahawks, who lead the NFC West with a 6-2 record and have won six of their last seven games.
“In my opinion from the tape that I’ve watched so far, this is the best defense we’ve played, so it will be a big-time challenge, especially at their place,” Gannon said.
Welcome to excuse #7,284 of why he “deserves” to be week 1 starter next year. Time to move on from the midget or move him to a slot WR. Great mobility with the ball in his hands, just sucks as a QB.