Kyler Murray's 3 TDs Lead Cardinals to Win vs. Falcons After Missed Extra Point

The Arizona Cardinals have their first winning streak of the Kyler Murray era.

Arizona has won two games in a row following Sunday's 34-33 victory over the Atlanta Falcons at State Farm Stadium. The Cardinals remain the only team in the daunting NFC West with a losing record at 2-3-1, but they have some momentum after Murray torched Atlanta's secondary.

He received some help as well, considering Matt Bryant missed an extra point on the visitors' final possession that could have forced overtime.

The free-falling Falcons have lost four games in a row after the missed kick and are 1-5 on the season. They are well behind the 5-1 New Orleans Saints in the NFC West and are running out of time to make a move in the division.

Notable Fantasy Stats

• Kyler Murray: 27-of-37 for 340 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions; 32 rushing yards
• David Johnson: 12 carries for 34 yards and a touchdown; six catches for 68 yards and a touchdown
• Larry Fitzgerald: six catches for 69 yards
• Matt Ryan: 30-of-36 for 356 yards, four touchdowns and zero interceptions
• Devonta Freeman: 19 carries for 88 yards; three catches for 30 yards and two touchdowns
• Austin Hooper: eight catches for 117 yards and a touchdown
• Julio Jones: eight catches for 108 yards

Murray Shines in His Best Game Yet

This year is less about wins and losses for the Cardinals and more about Murray's development under first-year head coach Kliff Kingsbury, but positive strides and wins are certainly welcome developments.

Murray has been electrifying on the ground at times, including in last Sunday's win over the Cincinnati Bengals, but he entered the game against the Falcons with zero touchdown passes in three of his four contests.

There were no issues throwing the ball Sunday.

This year's No. 1 overall draft pick spread the ball around to nine receivers and scrambled around not to just run but to create time in the pocket. He escaped pressure a number of times, including when he dropped a dime to Damiere Byrd over multiple defenders to set up his first touchdown pass to Chase Edmonds.

Murray also used his mobility on the first possession of the second half with a beautifully designed rollout-and-throw across the field to a wide-open Maxx Williams for another touchdown.

It is natural to wonder if the Falcons secondary that allowed five touchdown passes to Deshaun Watson just last week had something to do with Murray's success, but the Oklahoma product is building momentum, making reads and looking more comfortable in the pocket within Kingsbury's system.

He also deserves plenty of credit for coming through in the clutch with the winning touchdown pass to David Johnson after the Falcons came storming back from a 17-point deficit. The best news for Cardinals fans is the fact he looked nothing like a rookie while doing it.

Rest of Team Lets Falcons Offense Down Yet Again

The Falcons have been trending in the wrong direction since their 2016 team collapsed in Super Bowl LI, and Sunday was another example of why.

Many of the same offensive pieces that were on that NFC championship team are still there: Matt Ryan, Julio Jones, Devonta Freeman, Mohamed Sanu and Austin Hooper. They thrived in the second half of this loss.

Despite a defense that has been largely nonexistent this season after struggling last year, Ryan and Co. came flying back from a 27-10 hole. The quarterback found Freeman for two touchdowns and Hooper for another with a number of surgical drives down the stretch, but the defense faltered against Murray.

As if that wasn't enough, Bryant's missed extra point was the cruelest twist of fate for an offense that was hitting on cylinders and figured to play well in overtime.

Ryan and the offense can take pride in the way they played, but the Falcons are once again staring at a lost season following an abysmal start.

What's Next?

Both teams are in action during Week 7, with the Cardinals at the New York Giants and the Falcons hosting the Los Angeles Rams.