Cardinals’ WR Rondale Moore and CB Byron Murphy ruled out vs Patriots

Greg Dortch logged two consecutive full practices; He will start in place of Moore

Per Kliff Kingsbury, the Arizona Cardinals will be without two key starters in wide receiver Rondale Moore and cornerback Byron Murphy when they play the New England Patriots on Monday Night Football.

Moore, the Cardinals’ 2021 second-round pick, has battled injuries throughout the season and will miss his second consecutive game. He missed the first three weeks with a nagging hamstring. Moore most-recently sustained a groin injury in Mexico City in the 38-10 loss to the San Francisco 49ers which limited him to two total snaps that game.

Byron Murphy, another former second-round selection by the Cardinals, has not been able to suit up since Week 9 due to a back injury. Though Kingsbury said Murphy will “probably” not play, it is safe to say he will be ruled out.

Both have been tremendous assets for this Arizona football team but with the record (4-8) as it stands right now, there should not be any rush in bringing either of them back. Both did not practice on Thursday or Friday.

With Moore ruled out, Greg Dortch will fill his spot in the starting lineup. Dortch missed last week with a thumb injury but logged two straight full practices this week. In his last game, Dortch had his best performance of his career hauling in 9-of-10 targets for a career-high 103 receiving yards against the 49ers. He has 29 catches on 33 targets in four games when Moore played two snaps or less. He should have a big role against the Patriots.

Marco Wilson, Antonio Hamilton, and Trayvon Mullen will continue to be the Cardinals’ top three cornerbacks as Murphy remains sidelined. Patriots will be without starting wide receiver Jakobi Meyers. DeVante Parker, Kendrick Bourne, and Nelson Agholor will be the top three receivers for the Cardinals’ defensive backs to cover.

In other news, Cody Ford will get the starting nod at left guard while Max Garcia mans the right guard position. Rashaad Coward started the last three games at left guard but was unable to practice the last two days. DeAndre Hopkins has been dealing with an illness but logged a full practice on Friday and should be a full-go for Monday Night Football.

Michael Chow-USA TODAY Sports

Patriots-Cardinals injury report can be found here.