Kyler Murray’s 43-yard touchdown pass to DeAndre Hopkins with 2 seconds remaining, forever memorialized in NFL lore as the “Hail Murray,” gave the Cardinals a 32-30 win over the Bills in the teams’ last meeting.
Four players went vertical contending for Murray’s prayer that day at State Farm Stadium, Nov. 15, 2020. None of the four will be on the field when Arizona visits Buffalo on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, CBS).
Hopkins signed as a free agent with Tennessee at the dawn of training camp last season after Arizona terminated the wide receiver that spring. The three Bills defenders involved in the play – safeties Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde and cornerback Tre’Davious White – also have left Buffalo.
One of several Buffalo storylines entering Week 1 is a new Buffalo secondary, including a remarkable comeback for now-starting safety Damar Hamlin.
The Bills terminated Poyer at the end of the league year in March but #BillsMafia will still see him twice this year; he signed a one-year contract with the Dolphins and new coordinator Anthony Weaver. White also signed a one-year deal, with the Los Angeles Rams, where he’ll be a veteran presence after the club traded Ernest Jones. Hyde, meanwhile, remains a free agent after Buffalo allowed his contract to expire March 13.
Another player who left Buffalo, wide receiver Stefon Diggs, got the attention of BillsMafia after some interesting comments Wednesday as he prepared with his new club, the Houston Texans.
Obviously, Murray is still in Arizona and, unlike the last two years, healthy. Murray is one of the main reasons some believe the Cardinals will be among the NFL’s most improved teams in 2024.