Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) scrambles away from Carolina Panthers linebacker D.J. Wonnum (98) at State Farm Stadium on Sept 14, 2025. Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

5 Takeaways from Arizona Cardinals’ Cardiac Win vs Carolina Panthers

Originally posted on Arizona Cardinals on SI
By Sam Dehring | Last updated Sep 14, 2025 8:31 PM ET

The Arizona Cardinals walked away with another close win today over the Carolina Panthers. We’ve seen them struggle for the past few seasons against Carolina, but that certainly wasn’t the case today, walking away with a 27-22 win.

Key takeaways:

Offensive Line Shines

The offensive line deserves a ton of credit here. Kyler Murray was sacked five times last week against the Saints. This week, he was sacked just once. The offense starts with the big men upfront, and they deserve a ton of credit for the Cardinals' success today.

Start Respecting Kyler Murray

The offense was clicking on all cylinders today. So, let’s break it down a bit and highlight some key successes. If we’re being honest, Kyler Murray doesn’t get enough credit for his talent across the league. Sure, the Cardinals aren’t exactly this jaw-dropping team. But, the Cardinals looked like a completely different team than last week, and Murray was a big part in their success today, posting a 92.1 quarterback rating.

Run Game Delivers

The stats might not stand out a ton in the run game. But, the product certainly did show for it. James Conner continues to be a productive force at 30 years old. Trey Benson is continuing to find his groove on this team, and showed his presence in the passing game today. Again, the stats might not have been there today overall. But, they were a big part of the moving force on the Cardinals offense today.

Defensive Line Shines

Let’s give the defense some love here. The Cardinals have some talented guys on their defensive line. They just need to keep them healthy. Guys like Darius Robinson Walter Nolen. How about Calais Campbell still putting up numbers at 39 years old? If the Cardinals can keep these guys healthy, that is going to be a driving force on the defensive side of the ball.

The Cardinals Need Proven Corner

Sure, they may have won the game. But, the Cardinals secondary is still looking for a spark. They gave up 328 yards throughout the entire game, giving up some big gains to the Panthers. They have a young cornerback room, but this might be a team that could likely be in the market for a corner before the trade deadline.

There were inconsistencies last week as well. Sure, it’s early. But if it a team like the Cardinals is going to make a push. Then, they need to go and make that call for a proven corner.

Overall, history has repeated itself between these two teams. But, Kyler Murray and the Cardinals weren’t even close to letting their struggling history happen today.