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The Arizona Cardinals have been inconsistent this season, but quarterback Kyler Murray has had a good year. He has thrown for 1,186 yards, 8 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions so far. But with the release of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 just a few days away, some fans are legitimately concerned that the quarterback’s performance will wane because of his love for the video game.
Kyler Murray is a big fan of the Call of Duty franchise and his gaming habit has irked fans at times because they view it as a distraction that gets in the way of him being a great quarterback in the NFL. The Cardinals’ quarterback brushed these absurd notions aside while revealing the impact that gaming has had on him.
I don’t know who made me the face of it. We all play the game. Not just me. I know tons of guys- it’s not necessarily a stress reliever, but it allows us to kinda escape every day we’re grinding.
Kyler Murray told Kevin Clark of ESPN
I asked Kyler Murray about Call of Duty trolls.
— Kevin Clark (@bykevinclark) October 16, 2024
"I don't know who made me the face of it. We all play the game. Not just me…it allows us to escape everyday we're grinding."
And to trolls now? "I just tell them thank you. I appreciate them all."
Amazing This Is Football. pic.twitter.com/SQcToMuwhO
It started as a hilarious meme but as it circulated, Murray found himself being the face of the gaming franchise amongst NFL players. Gaming serves as a welcome distraction to him, a form of therapy that allows him to shift his focus onto something creative and fun. He refrains from calling it a stress reliever because well, gamers understand that losing games is a stressful ordeal by itself. Kyler Murray has embraced the memes.
If you would ask me when I was seven years old, ‘Would you be able to partner with Call of Duty? ‘Hell yeah. Every kid’s taking that deal. I just tell (the rolls) thank you…I appreciate them all.
Kyler Murray added
He was a fan of the game since his childhood and now he gets to be paid for playing the game.
Kyler Murray is an official partner for the upcoming Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 game
There have been a lot of incidents that resulted in Murray’s obsession with Call of Duty turning into a meme. The starting point was the inclusion of a ‘homework clause’ that was a part of his $230 million deal with the Arizona Cardinals. This clause mandated that the quarterback spend considerable time watching film and honing his craft while he was not at practice.
Then came the theories. A few brilliant fans made the connection between Call of Duty and Kyler Murray after they noticed a trend that on weekends when the game awarded players double XP, his performance on the field saw a drop.
A Reddit user conducted a statistical analysis of Murray’s performance on Double XP weekends and normal weekends. Surprisingly, he found that the quarterback performed worse in terms of passer rating, passing yards, completion percentage, and win-loss record when the game gave incentives to players.
This season, Murray has been playing well, and with Black Ops 6 scheduled to release on the 25th of October, the notion of his performance tanking after the game releases should be viewed with a degree of humor. However, the numbers do surprisingly favor that assumption. Despite his consistency this season, the Cardinals have struggled and ranked third in the NFC West.
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