As of Friday morning, we don't know if Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray will play on Sunday.
Murray did not participate in the Cardinals' practices Wednesday and Thursday with a foot injury he sustained in Arizona's chaotic Week 5 loss to the Tennessee Titans. We might get some clarity later on Friday, but the Colts have operated this week as if Murray will play on Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium.
"We're just going to keep preparing like he's going to play," defensive tackle DeForest Buckner said. "You don't know until he's ruled out."
If Murray does play, he'll present a different challenge than any other quarterback the Colts have faced this season. He's completed an efficient 68.3 percent of his passes this season, but is averaging just 6.0 yards per attempt – the fifth-lowest rate among qualified quarterbacks entering Week 6. Murray is one of three quarterbacks (along with Aaron Rodgers and Bo Nix) whose average depth of target on completions is under four yards; Rodgers' receivers are No. 1 in yards after the catch, Nix's are sixth, but Murray's are 17th.
That's all to say the Cardinals' passing offense this year has been compressed and not all that explosive. But Murray's ability to escape pressure, scramble outside the pocket and make plays with his arm or his legs is something the Colts are more worried about than whatever these statistics may show. Discipline up front will be at a premium on Sunday.
"You got to continue to rush because he loves to extend plays," Buckner said. "That's been his entire career – getting outside of the pocket and extending plays. It's not fair to the back end having to cover for so long. So as a rush group, we've got to do a really good job with our rush lanes and keeping our eyes on the quarterback when we're rushing, covering each other and continuing to just rush all the way through the down."
Second-year wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., too, is coming off a 98-yard game in Week 5 against the Titans; while he's had a somewhat slow start to his career relative to expectations given his draft slot (No. 4 overall in 2024) and his Hall of Fame dad, the threat he provides is one the Colts are keyed on this week.
For the Colts' defense, though, Sunday's game is more about what they can do than who may or may not play for Arizona. The Colts enter Week 6 third in the NFL in points allowed per game (17.6) and fifth in takeaways (eight), traditional stats backed up by two advanced ones: The Colts are eighth in EPA per play on defense and are fifth in defensive DVOA. In the last three weeks, the Colts are 10th in pressure rate (40.1 percent) and seventh in sack rate (8.5 percent), too.
"I think we established that we're disciplined," linebacker Zaire Franklin said. "I think that we play for each other. I think we play fast. I think we play physical, and then we take the ball away. I think we just make timely plays to help our team win."
When the Colts have the ball
Arizona enters Week 6 allowing 19.2 points per game, fourth in the NFL, and they're eighth in defensive DVOA. Head coach Jonathan Gannon – who was the Philadelphia Eagles' defensive coordinator when Shane Steichen was offensive coordinator – plays a multitude of coverages (primarily Cover-3 and Cover-4, with Cover-1 and Cover-2 mixed in) and coaches his players to disguise them before the snap, which has created challenges for opposing offenses this season.
"They do a phenomenal job," Steichen said. "I think they're very multiple in what they do. Got different looks that we got to be prepared for."
The Cardinals have held opposing quarterbacks to a 76.8 passer rating, fourth-lowest in the NFL; Colts quarterback Daniel Jones enters Week 6 with a passer rating of 105.1, eighth-best in the NFL.
"(They) play a multitude of different looks, and force you to communicate well on offense and make sure you identify what they're doing well and you're kind of all on the same page as a group," Jones said. "You can tell they're well-coached, a smart team. They present kind of some unique and nontraditional looks. And for us, we got to do a good job identifying it, communicating clearly and then executing."
Arizona is particularly stingy in the red zone. They've allowed a touchdown on just 47 percent of opposing drives inside the 20, third-lowest in the NFL, and in total they've given up only eight drives that've ended in a touchdown (15.1 percent), second in the NFL behind the Denver Broncos (10.7 percent touchdown drive rate).
Zooming out here, it's worth noting all five of the Cardinals' games this season have been decided by one score; they've lost three games by a total of five points. The Colts, meanwhile, have won three of their five games by at least 21 points.
Only 13 total games in 2025 have been decided by 21+ points – including those three Colts wins – while 18 games in Weeks 4 and 5 were decided by one score. Chances are, the Colts will be pulled into tight games more often than they blow out opposing teams.
And whether Murray plays or not on Sunday – ex-Colts quarterback Jacoby Brissett would start if not – the expectation here, based on the opponent, is the Colts will need to execute in a tight game to go back to California next week with a 5-1 record.
