It's looking more likely that Kyler Murray's ankle injury will cost him just one game.
The Arizona Cardinals quarterback said Wednesday that he's made "crazy" progress -- in a good way -- in recovering from the injury and is optimistic about his availability to play Sunday against the Carolina Panthers, per Cardinals beat writer Darren Urban. Nevertheless, Murray was not able to participate in practice Wednesday, per NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport.
His return can't come soon enough as the Cardinals look to keep a one-game lead over the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC West. Murray leads one of the NFL's most prolific offenses and is maintaining an NFL-best completion percentage of 72.7. His ability to extend plays with his scrambling ability and distribute accurate throws to a deep and talented receiving corps has helped Arizona to 30.8 points per game, the second-best average in the NFL.
Murray did not practice last week and was designated inactive for the Cardinals' Week 9 win over the San Francisco 49ers, despite some optimism that he might be able to play. Veteran backup Colt McCoy replaced Murray effectively as Arizona improved to 8-1. The Cardinals also played without DeAndre Hopkins (hamstring) at wide receiver, who, like Murray, was designated inactive. Hopkins' status for the game against Carolina is also uncertain.
Murray initially injured his ankle against the Green Bay Packers in the Week 8 Thursday night game, Arizona's first loss of the season.
