No matter Murray's QB foe, Cards vs. Panthers has intrigue

Kyler Murray’s going to be the quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. The Carolina Panthers have a much more uncertain situation under center.

Whether Cam Newton is healthy enough to play or the Panthers turn to backup Kyle Allen — who was Murray’s college teammate — the matchup will have plenty of intrigue.

Murray, the No. 1 overall pick in April, has had a very promising start to his NFL career. He’s just the second quarterback in NFL history to throw for at least 300 yards in his first two career games.

The other guy? Newton, who was also the No. 1 pick in 2011. Both also won the Heisman Trophy.

Murray said he’s never met Newton, but has admired him since he was a teenager.

“I’ve always watched him. I love watching him,” Murray said. “He was one of my favorite quarterbacks growing up, so I look forward to it.”

The question is if Newton will play. The nine-year veteran hasn’t practiced this week because of a mid-foot sprain.

If Newton can’t go, the Panthers (0-2) will turn to Allen, who is in his second season and has just one career start. Murray and Allen played together at Texas A&M in 2015, splitting time for a team that finished with an 8-5 record.

In a strange twist, both of them ended up transferring at the end of the season. The two say they got along fine, even if circumstances weren’t ideal. Murray called it a “tough situation.” Allen said they were “never super tight. We had a mutual respect for each other obviously.”

Now they might be on the same NFL field.

“We went to school together. We played together,” Murray said. “I don’t really have control over who starts over there. That’s their deal. I just have to get ready to play, and whoever’s their quarterback is their quarterback.”

FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH

Receiver Larry Fitzgerald has looked 10 years younger over the Cardinals’ first two games with 13 catches for 217 yards and a touchdown.

The 36-year-old has developed a quick rapport with Murray and the connection looks like it’s going to go-to for Arizona (0-1-1) all season. Panthers coach Ron Rivera said Fitzgerald is a player — along with Panthers TE Greg Olsen — who he encourages young players to emulate.

“He’s the right kind of person, the right kind of young man who understands what it takes to be successful in this game,” Rivera said. “It honestly doesn’t surprise me that he’s still playing, and it doesn’t surprise me that he’s having success like he is because he works at it.

RED-ZONE WOES

Arizona’s offense has been very efficient this year except when it gets in the red zone. That was a big issue in last week’s 23-17 loss to Baltimore: The Cardinals had to settle for three field goals after getting inside Baltimore’s 5-yard line. It would help to get David Johnson going in the run game. He had just 14 yards rushing on seven carries in Week 2.

KUECHLY ON A TEAR

The Panthers may be 0-2 but it has little to do with the play of linebacker Luke Kuechly, who is off to another terrific start. The five-time All-Pro selection had 17 tackles, including a tackle in the end zone on running back Peyton Barber for a safety in last week’s 20-14 loss to the Buccaneers. Kuechly now has 973 tackles for his career, passing Hall of Fame linebacker Brian Urlacher for the most tackles by a player through his first eight seasons. Kuechly’s average of 9.4 tackles per game is second only to Miami’s Zach Thomas (9.8) in NFL history.

“They have such smart defensive players,” said Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury. “It starts with Kuechly, who gets everything lined up and has such a great feel for the game and knows what offenses are going to run before they even run it.”

ALL McCAFFREY, ALL THE TIME

Panthers offensive coordinator Norv Turner said before the season he wanted to limit Christian McCaffrey’s reps in the offense for fear of wearing him down. Well, that hasn’t quite happened. Through two games, McCaffrey has been on the field for all 137 offensive plays. After combining for 209 yards on offense and two TDs in the season opener against the Rams, McCaffrey will look to get back on track against Arizona after being held to 53 yards by the Bucs. The Panthers scored 14 points against Tampa Bay, but it came on four field goals and safety.

THIRD-DOWN STRUGGLES

If the Panthers want to succeed on offense it will need to start with moving the chains and sustaining drives. Carolina is converting a paltry 32 percent of its third downs (8 of 25) and is 0 for 3 on fourth-down conversions. A big part of that is the Panthers haven’t utilized multidimensional Newton as a runner as they have in the past due to shoulder and foot issues. In fact, Newton has five carries for minus-2 yards with two fumbles. With Allen expected to start at QB, it could add another dimension to the offense.

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AP Sports Writer Steve Reed contributed to this story.