It’s time to overreact.

On Sunday, the Arizona Cardinals engaged in their first shootout of the 2025 season, ultimately falling 31-27 to the high-octane Indianapolis Colts on the road. For as disappointing as the fourth-straight loss was, backup QB Jacoby Brissett did what no Cardinals QB had done all season in place of the injured Kyler Murray: pass for over 300 yards.

It was the first time an Arizona passer had achieved that feat since the tail end of 2024, with a variety of downfield chunk plays, despite losing WR Marvin Harrison Jr. to a concussion early in the first half. Trey McBride and Zay Jones excelled through the air while Brissett stood tall and delivered to his open men, over and over.

That begs the ever-present question: why hasn’t Murray been able to do the same? Is Brissett a better fit for this offense?

A Tale of Two Cardinals QBs

Much has been written and speculated about with regard to Arizona’s distinct lack of offensive production this season. A team that built its reputation on running the football suddenly couldn’t do so, while their already-lackluster passing attack found a new low.

For the year, Murray (in five starts) has completed 68.3% of his passes for 962 yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions. He’s thrown for more than 200 yards only twice, and hasn’t eclipsed 300 since week 16 of 2024.

Brissett, meanwhile, threw for 320 yards, two touchdowns and an interception against Indianapolis. He fed the ball to eight different receivers and looked comfortable in Drew Petzing’s offense.

“[Brissett]’s command and presence in terms of commanding the offense; he’s just really fun to play with,” WR Michael Wilson told Channel 12’s Jake Garcia after Sunday’s game. 

“He never gets too high, too low. But you could feel like when he was back there, everything was going to be calm and he was going to be poised and make the right decision and get us going.”

For his career, Brissett has 11,720 passing yards, 55 touchdowns and 25 interceptions with a QB rating of 84.8. Murray has 20,460 yards, 121 touchdowns and 60 interceptions for a 92.2 rating.

Yes, QB rating is an extremely flawed stat, as are raw numbers between two players with extremely distinctive career paths. But what was undeniable on Sunday was Brissett’s decisiveness and poise in the pocket — something Murray has not displayed this season.

“I thought we had some good concepts up,” head coach Jonathan Gannon told reporters postgame.

“Guys got open and he found them. Protection was pretty good for the most part, especially on mixed downs. I thought we did a good job. We generated a lot of explosives, got out of the hole a couple times with some explosives on third down. That was good to see.”

So, is it time to ride the hot hand with Brissett, even once Murray is healthy?

Do Cardinals Have a QB Controversy?

Some have desired a QB change in Arizona for years. Others maintain that Murray still provides the best chance at winning games. In all likelihood, somewhere in between those two positions lies the truth. So how do the Cardinals view the situation?

“He’s the starting quarterback,” Gannon said of Murray. “When he’s out there ready to play, he’ll play.”

Perhaps that’s just telegraphed coach-speak from a coach who’s already been the focus of unwanted negative attention in recent weeks. But the Cardinals have also maintained a steadfast belief in Murray since the new regime arrived in 2023.

If Murray isn’t capable of running Arizona’s offense in its current iteration, why would they hold that belief for so long when moving off the seven-year QB could have been an option prior to the 2025 season? And on top of that, why would Brissett look so much more productive and poised in Petzing’s passing offense, which had been a tough watch for five weeks?

Gannon said the Cardinals altered their gameplan and scheme to fit Brissett’s skillset against the Colts on Sunday.

“We tailored, a little bit, the scheme going into this week with the possibility of Jacoby starting, I would say. I thought it was a good job by Drew and his staff to… just like all our guys, make sure that we’re putting Jacoby in spots that he does well with, and I thought we did that,” Gannon said.

Brissett was able to handle under-center, play-action-based plays at a high clip. He completed 13 of 20 play-action passes for 171 yards and a score. He lined up under center 17 times on Sunday, while Murray has done so only 16 times all season. (H/T Tyler Drake and Theo Mackie on X/Twitter).

It hasn’t been a secret. That’s the type of passing offense Petzing would prefer to run, even down two of the Cardinals’ blocking tight ends. Brissett, therefore, would seem like the more obvious fit, despite the obvious athletic advantage in Murray’s favor.

If one is to go by Gannon’s words, the short answer is still no, there is no QB controversy. But if the Cardinals are capable of tailoring the offense to a player’s skillset, why hasn’t Murray been able to succeed? Is that more on Murray himself, or on Petzing and his staff?

Arizona may have more time to see what Brissett can offer, depending on how Murray’s foot injury responds. But time is running out on the Cardinals’ ability to turn their season into a productive one.

The conversations about Murray’s long-term viability will only get louder — unless he decisively quiets them. But if Brissett continues to deliver performances like Sunday’s, Murray may not have the opportunity to.