Kliff Kingsbury: Kyler Murray, A.J. Green Had 'Miscommunication' on Game-Ending INT

The cliche "roller coaster of emotions" was invented for games like Thursday's between the Green Bay Packers and Arizona Cardinals.

It seemed as if Kyler Murray was going to lead a dramatic 99-yard touchdown drive to win the game in the final seconds, but Packers cornerback Rasul Douglas picked off his pass in the end zone to clinch Green Bay's 24-21 victory. It wasn't all Murray's fault, though, as wide receiver A.J. Green didn't look for the ball.

"Miscommunication, obviously. ... We feel like it's a safe throw if he knew the route to run," Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury told reporters. "... Just didn't communicate on some level."

Murray echoed that sentiment: 

That lack of communication proved costly because the Cardinals lost their undefeated record and fell to 7-1. They also dropped out of the top spot in the race for the NFC's No. 1 seed, as the Packers improved to 7-1 and now own the head-to-head tiebreaker. 

Arizona was in comeback mode for much of the contest because the offense was stagnant into the third quarter. However, Murray finally established a rhythm in the period and carried it into the fourth, directing touchdown drives of 81 and 75 yards.

He had an opportunity to lead one more at the end of the game only because the Cardinals defense stopped the Packers on four straight plays after Green Bay had 1st-and-goal from the 1-yard line.

Yet Murray's miscommunication with Green—who may have been the target only because DeAndre Hopkins suffered a hamstring injury that kept him off the field for extended stretches—ended the comeback effort.

The Packers deserve plenty of credit as well.

Aaron Rodgers led them to a win even though they were missing wide receivers Davante Adams, Allen Lazard or Marquez Valdes-Scantling. Rodgers found Randall Cobb for two touchdowns, and the running back combination of Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon was largely unstoppable.

It was one of the most impressive wins of the season even though Arizona's late mistake stood out more than any other play.