By:Dan Neil

On Sunday October 6, the Arizona Cardinals defeated the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio by a score of 26-23. A last second field goal from Zane Gonzalez gave Kyler Murray his first victory in the NFL, and his first game winning drive.

Kyler Murray and the Cardinals offense were, for the most part, exceptional, compiling over 500 yards of total offense and driving down the field with ease. Though red zone woes still haunt this team, our 20 trips to the red zone in 5 games (compared to the Cards' 28 trips all last season) are an indicator of an offense which is moving the ball with greater regularity.

Other notable performances on offense came from the timely Larry Fitzgerald (6 receptions, 58 yards), David Johnson (150+scrimmage yards), Chase Edmonds in getting his first rushing TD of the season, and left tackle DJ Humphries in a great pass and run blocking effort.

The defense held the struggling Bengals in check for most of the game. The Bengals' first three scores were all field goals where the Cardinals defense forced Andy Dalton and company off the field in goal-to-go situations. They also notched a key fourth down stop on an ill-fated Dalton QB run.

However, leading 23-9 with just over 4:00 to play, the Cardinals defense broke instead of bending by allowing two rapid touchdown drives on the arm of Andy Dalton to tie the game. Kyler Murray's late game heroics may have bailed out a defense which seems to be in flux. Chandler Jones had the lone Cardinals' sack on the day, and through 5 games, the Cardinals have not forced a single interception.

Next up for the Redbirds are the embattled Falcons. The Cardinals are the healthier team, as the Falcons have been decimated by injuries on defense, but without our top two corners, Matt Ryan may find himself connecting with Julio Jones for an absurd amount of yards in what could surely amount to a shootout in the desert