CHICAGO — Kyler Murray is back.
The Arizona Cardinals‘ third-year quarterback returned from a high left ankle sprain to throw two touchdowns and run for two more in a 33-22 win over the Chicago Bears on Sunday at Soldier Field.
It had been five weeks since Murray last played, when he sprained his ankle in a loss to the Green Bay Packers in Week 8. He missed three games after that and rested the last two weeks during Arizona’s bye in order to come back fully healthy as the Cardinals enter the stretch run with a 10-2 record, the best in the NFL.
Murray proved his ankle was fine on the Cardinals’ second drive, which he began with an 8-yard run and capped with a 9-yard TD run. He finished with 59 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns to complement his 123 passing yards and two passing touchdowns.
Sunday was Murray’s seventh game since 2020 in which he accounted for at least four touchdowns, which leads the NFL.
Murray, who became the fourth-youngest player in NFL history to throw for 10,000 yards with a 2-yard completion to running back James Conner in the second quarter, is the first Cardinals quarterback with two passing and two rushing touchdowns in a game since Josh McCown did it in Week 15 of the 2004 season.
Murray showcased his ankle’s health with a series of jukes and cuts throughout the game.