Markus Golden and the Arizona Cardinals' defense will be the opponent for Trey Lance's first NFL start Sunday at State Farm Stadium. When asked if practicing against Kyler Murray each and every week will help the Cardinals prepare to face Lance, Golden wasn't ready to compare the two young quarterbacks.
"Nah, he ain't Kyler Murray," Golden said, garnering some laughter in the Arizona press conference room. "Kyler Murray different, man. I don't think there's too many people that can prepare you for a guy like Kyler, man. He different."
To be fair, Golden followed up his snarky comment with praise for Lance, mentioning the 49ers rookie's arm strength.
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"The young quarterback over there, he got a lot of skill, big quarterback, he can throw the ball, got a big arm when he throwing deep, and he's pretty quick and he can get away from the blockers," Golden said, "so you got to be able to keep an eye on him and know where he like to escape at, and just do your job on that part, too, knowing exactly where the quarterback will try to run when he takes off."
Murray has been one of the NFL's most exciting players since entering the NFL in 2019, and has Arizona undefeated through the first four weeks of this season. The former No. 1 overall draft pick is completing 76.1 percent of his passes for 1,273 yards and nine touchdowns with four interceptions. Murray also has rushed for 109 yards and three scores.
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Lance isn't quite as quick as Murray, but he's significantly bigger than the Cardinals QB. Murray stands 5-foot-10 and weighs in at 207 pounds, while Lance checks in at 6-4 and 224.
San Francisco 49ers
It won't be the easiest matchup for Lance's first NFL start, as Golden and the Cardinals' defense boast the third-most takeaways in the league and have the ninth-ranked scoring defense.
Perhaps Lance can use Golden's remarks as bulletin-board material for what will be a critical game for the 2-2 49ers, as they try to stay alive in the NFC West race.