Cardinals' Kyler Murray Will Miss Week 9 with Injury If He Can't Play at 'High Level'

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray is still dealing with a sprained left ankle, and he won't play Sunday's game against the San Francisco 49ers unless he can play at a "high level" in the pocket. 

"We're not going to put them out there unless he can function," Kingsbury said, according to ESPN's Josh Weinfuss. "He wants to play, so we'll see."

Murray injured his ankle late in a Week 8 loss to the Green Bay Packers. He didn't practice at all this week and has been labeled as a game-time decision for Sunday. 

Kingsbury also told reporters earlier in the week that there was a possibility Murray would play despite not practicing all week. 

"He has got that type of ability," he said, per the team's website. "If it was earlier in his career, probably not. His understanding of the system now and some of the pieces that we have around him, I feel good about that."

In addition, Murray told reporters he should be "good to go" for Sunday's game against San Francisco, per NFL.com's Nick Shook. 

Murray has been one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL this season, completing 72.7 percent of his passes for 2,276 yards and 17 touchdowns against seven interceptions. He has also run for 147 yards and three scores. 

The 24-year-old's emergence as a top-tier quarterback has the Cardinals at 7-1 this season, tied for the NFC West lead. If he misses any time this season, it won't be good for Arizona. 

The Cardinals have Colt McCoy and Chris Streveler on their roster, but neither would come close to replicating what Murray does. McCoy started only two games (four total appearances) for the New York Giants last season, completing 60.6 percent of his passes for 375 yards and one touchdown and an interception. 

Streveler, meanwhile, appeared in five games for the Cardinals last season, completing 11-of-16 passes for 105 yards, one touchdown and one interception. 

Arizona is in the midst of its best season since 2015 when it went 13-3 under Bruce Arians.