Kyler Murray got off to a slow start and the Cowboys never got going. Following a scoreless first quarter, Murray and the Cardinals exploded and left the Cowboys far behind without an answer in return, coming away with a 38-10 win on Monday Night Football.
1) A return and a debut all in one. It was a big night for Kyler Murray, as he played his first Monday Night Football game and did so in his native state of Texas at AT&T Stadium, where he had previously won acclaim and ballgames in high school and college. But against the worst scoring defense in the league, Murray and the Cardinals were shut out in the opening stanza. You could tell the moment had him a bit out of sorts. And then Murray found that elite next gear of his and, in a blink of an eye, a blowout was had. Dazzling with his fleet feet and quick arm, Murray led the way for the Cardinals' most dominant showing of the season -- and in a long while, for that matter. Though his accuracy was, frankly, woeful on the evening, it really mattered not. Murray (9-for-24 for 188 yards, 93.8 rating) had a pair of TD tosses to Christian Kirk, including an 80-yarder to go up 21-0 in the second quarter. The 21-point second-quarter burst truly finished the game, stunning in its quickness and emphatic in its tone-setting nature. Murray added another score on a one-yard run. It was no doubt a tough evening for Cowboys fans, but one of Texas' own returned and put on the starry performance that we are quickly getting accustomed to seeing. With the Cardinals at 4-2 and tied for second in the NFC West, Murray's leading the way and once again leaving Texas with plenty of high hopes ahead.
2) A week removed from its favorite son falling, Dallas has been hit by devastation. An offense that entered Monday having tied for the most turnovers had four more (though one was an interception that should've been a defensive pass interference). And a defense that's yet to face an offense it could slow was porous yet another week. Andy Dalton replaced Dak Prescott and it didn't go well. No matter who was running the ball for the Cowboys, success was seldom. And the defense shut out an opponent in the first quarter for the first time, but then an offensive avalanche buried it. There is high-profile talent in abundance, including within the coaching staff, but this is a team without remedies to end its ills -- which seemingly extend back to last season. To the likely chagrin of the majority of the league, there is salvation found in the fact that the Cowboys, 2-4 as they may be, are in first place in the NFC East. First place or not, these Cowboys were a disaster on Monday night, looking listless, struggling in all facets and seemingly just biding time until the clock ran out on a loss, boos accompanying their exit. Something must change in Dallas, though it's arduous to believe any quick fix is applicable.
3) The Cowboys weren't the only team to have begun the remainder of their season without a superstar on Monday. But the Cardinals were the only team to respond with inspired play. Arizona stymied the No. 1 total offense in the league, battering Dalton, causing turnovers and generally wreaking despair. Replacing a player of Chandler Jones' caliber is likely impossible, but the Cardinals decided to carry on anyway, and did so ferociously. Just as the Cowboys were dreadful on each side of the ball, the Cardinals were phenomenal. Arizona had four turnovers and three sacks and held the Cowboys to one meaningless touchdown in garbage time. Jordan Hicks (10 tackles, two for loss), Patrick Peterson (eight tackles), Haason Reddick (two sacks) and Jordan Phillips (forced fumble, fumble recovery) all contributed with notable nights. As the defense dominated, this was also a showcase for one of the league's most unheralded talents, safety Budda Baker (seven tackles, sack, two QB hits, interception), who no doubt made a lasting first impression on many getting their initial look in prime time. Though its best player is out for the year, the Cardinals defense is very much moving forward with ill intent and impressive results.
4) With Prescott out, many looked upon the shoulders and legs of Ezekiel Elliott to carry a bigger load. Elliott was the workhorse, the star they would count on in troubled times. Instead, Zeke looked nothing like the stellar back he's been previously, fumbling away possession twice, getting replaced by Tony Pollard for a spell and finding no positives amid a miserable night. It was the first time in Elliott's career in which he's lost multiple fumbles in a game. On a still young season, Elliott's five fumbles and four lost have become a big problem on a team with an abundance of those.
Contenders converging at a Week 6 crossroads, the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills gathered on a rainy Monday afternoon, each of them coming off their first defeats and aiming to avoid their first losing streaks. An expected shootout never came to be due to soggy conditions and inspired defenses, but Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs offense got more than enough from Travis Kelce and Clyde Edwards-Helaire to emerge victorious, 26-17, over the suddenly struggling Bills.
1) A pair of teams with sky-high hopes coming off their first losses, an offensive showdown between the Chiefs and Bills featuring Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen squaring off for the first time was atop the marquee. But upon an unfamiliar early Monday setting, rainy conditions and improved defenses turned this into a game few likely anticipated. However, as champions do, the Mahomes-led Chiefs responded. The defense stiffened, Mahomes regained his accuracy after some uncharacteristic early throws went awry and Andy Reid's offense leaned on the running game and the fresh legs of rookie Clyde Edwards-Helaire. Mahomes puts up such magnificent statistics that a night such as he had -- 21-for-26 for 225 yards and two touchdowns -- seems ridiculously like a disappointment. But his performance was his standard excellence of efficiency and the Chiefs followed suit. This was a win K.C. needed to stay atop the AFC West at 5-1, but more so to avoid a consecutive defeat, to keep things running on high. Playing a rescheduled game, earlier than most Monday nighters and amid unfavorable conditions doesn't lend itself to getting anything done easily. But Kansas City won impressively because it did what a reigning Super Bowl champion should do. The Chiefs adapted and overcame with championship moxie and experience. And now K.C. is back on track and it's Buffalo that's suddenly left to ponder a two-game skid.
2) When the Bills (4-2) offense sputtered and lost for the first time the prior week against the Titans, there was no reason to panic. Following a second straight loss and a suspect outing for the offense, there is now reason for worry. Allen and Mahomes each struggled early with inaccuracy amid the rainy conditions, but Mahomes adjusted and so too did the Chiefs offense with its rushing approach. Allen remained off-target much of the night (14-of-27 for 122 yards, two touchdowns, interception). Allen struggled, but the offense did as a whole. He was also the leading rusher for the Bills (eight carries for 42 yards). The running game, even with a healthy Devin Singletary and Zack Moss, was rarely bothersome for the Chiefs defense, managing only 84 yards on 23 carries as a team with the Chiefs outgaining the Bills by a staggering 466-206 disparity. If Allen is to find the form that dazzled us through the initial four weeks of the season, it can't just all be on him. It was against the Chiefs, and the Bills lost for the second game in a row. Another response is needed for the Bills, who are still in first place in a struggling AFC East, and it must be a far better one than was shown Monday.
3) Deemed an ideal fit for the Chiefs offense, Edwards-Helaire had a dazzling debut to the season (138 yards and a score rushing vs. the Texans in Week 1), but has been largely quiet in terms of production since. That changed Monday. Edwards-Helaire burst through for big chunk gains and ran up 94 yards on just 10 carries in the first half. It was a total that surpassed any effort on the ground in his previous four games. On the night, Edward-Helaire produced a season-high 161 yards and the Chiefs had more than 200 yards rushing for the first time with Mahomes starting a ballgame, per NFL Research. Le'Veon Bell is on his way to joining K.C. Maybe that lit a fire under the first-rounder, but regardless, this is the CEH that had so much promise. With the weather as it was and the game as important as it was, it was an ideal time for Edwards-Helaire to reintroduce himself.
4) Travis Kelce has proven to be one of the toughest tight ends to stop throughout an already illustrious career and the Bills defense has had the toughest of times stopping tight ends so far in 2020. Unsurprisingly, Kelce had a big day, even with a fumble late in the second half. The Bills defense has allowed more yards and scores to tight ends than any other squad and against one of the game's great ones that trend continued. Kelce racked up five catches for 65 yards and two huge touchdowns to put the Chiefs out in front at 7-3 and then 13-10. Kelce produces game in and game out and unfortunately for the Bills, they continue to allow tight ends to have big outings game in and game out.
