TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Veteran backup Jacoby Brissett was the fill-in for Cardinals franchise quarterback Kyler Murray against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday after Murray's ailing foot kept him out of action.
In an awkward development, Arizona's offense looked better than it has all season.
The Cardinals (2-4) still lost their fourth game in a row, falling to the Colts 31-27, but it was jarring how well the offense functioned with Brissett in the pocket. The 32-year-old completed 27 of 44 passes for 320 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, the best passing output for the Cardinals this year.
It's unclear if Murray will return this week against the Green Bay Packers. But third-year coach Jonathan Gannon was adamant on Monday that Murray remains the starter.
“When he's healthy and ready to play, he'll play,” Gannon said.
Murray was supposed to be the savior for the Cardinals when he was drafted with the No. 1 overall pick in 2019 after winning the Heisman Trophy at Oklahoma.
And it's not like he's been a bust. He's a two-time Pro Bowl selection, he led the team to the playoffs in 2021, and he's produced plenty of highlights with his his ability to throw and run.
But in his seventh year with the franchise, frustration is mounting.
Whether it's Murray or Brissett under center against the Packers, the Cardinals are running out of time to turn their season around.
“We’re a good team,” Gannon said. "I know their record is what their record is, and ours is what we are, so I’m not discounting that because our record shows that we’re not a good football team. But I do think the battle is there and we’ll just keep sawing away. We’ll just keep sawing away.”
It was a good Sunday for some of the Cardinals' lesser-known pass catchers, including Zay Jones, Michael Wilson and tight end Elijah Higgins.
Jones had his most productive game for Arizona, catching five passes for 79 yards. He played a bigger role than normal once star receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. left the game in the second quarter after being placed in the concussion protocol.
The Cardinals' defensive front was quiet on Sunday, sacking the Colts' Daniel Jones just once.
That's not what Arizona had in mind during the offseason, when the team poured money into revamping the front seven, bringing in Josh Sweat, Dalvin Tomlinson and Calais Campbell.
Gannon said he thought the pass rushers played fairly well, but that there were breakdowns in the secondary that allowed Jones to make quick throws.
“They made some adjustments, so we've just got to make sure we keep making adjustments,” Gannon said. “You’ve got to affect the passer, that always has to be a core staple of us. We’ve got to make sure to put them in the right spots and winning, and it’s not just the front, it’s the back end as well.”
Brissett. The QB once again showed why he's considered one of the NFL's top backups. If Murray has to miss another game or two, it appears the offense is in good hands.
“The hunger is there, the enthusiasm is still there,” Brissett said. “There’s a lot of football left, and I think the guys understand that. We’re not as far off as it seems.”
Murray. It's hard to be critical of a guy who didn't even play, but Brissett's performance was an eye-opener. Through Murray's first five games this season, the Cardinals' passing offense ranked 30th in the NFL.
Gannon didn't have updates on Harrison (concussion), RB Emari Demercado (ankle) or TE Travis Vokolek (neck/concussion), all of whom were hurt against the Colts.
9 — The Cardinals have lost their last four games by a combined nine points.
The Cardinals host the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.
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Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) and wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (18) walk off the field after the team's loss in an NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Arizona Cardinals' Jacoby Brissett throws during the first half of an NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
PARIS (AP) — Ukraine on Monday signed a letter of intent to buy up to 100 Rafale warplanes from France, the Ukrainian Embassy and the French president’s office said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and French President Emmanuel Macron signed the document stating that Ukraine is considering the possibility of buying French defense equipment, including Rafale jet fighters, Macron’s office said. It did not provide further details.
Zelenskyy was on his ninth visit to Paris since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022. His talks are meant to strengthen Ukraine’s defenses as the country enters another winter under Russian bombardment of its energy infrastructure and other targets.
On Monday morning, Macron and Zelenskyy visited an air base in the Paris outskirts, before heading to the headquarters of a multinational force, dubbed the “coalition of the willing,” that France and Britain have been preparing with more than 30 other nations to police an eventual ceasefire in Ukraine.
French officials say the force could be deployed immediately after a ceasefire and would be stationed away from the front lines in an effort to help dissuade renewed Russian attacks. Russian President Vladimir Putin has so far rejected calls for a ceasefire as his troops make creeping gains on the battlefield.
Zelenskyy wrote on X on Sunday that he looked forward to a “historic deal with France in Paris to strengthen our combat aviation and air defense." He made a stop to Greece on his way to France to sign an agreement to supply Ukraine with U.S. liquefied natural gas.
Last month, Ukraine and Sweden signed an agreement exploring the possibility of Ukraine buying up to 150 Swedish-made Gripen fighter jets over the next decade or more. Ukraine has already received American-made F-16s and French Mirages.
France is among major suppliers of defense assistance to Ukraine, including air defense systems and fighter jets.
The chief of the French defense staff, Air Force Gen. Fabien Mandon, this month told French senators that Ukraine needs immediate additional air defenses because Russia is on average targeting the country with about 1,700 drones per week and also hitting it with missiles.
He said that European-made SAMP/T ground-to-air systems that France provided are proving more effective than U.S.-made Patriot batteries against hard-to-hit Russian missiles.
“We helped Ukraine by deploying missile and drone interception systems called the SAMP/T system. The Russians adapted the flight profiles of their most advanced missiles because they realized they were being intercepted by Ukrainian defenses. Today, the Patriot system is struggling to intercept them, but the SAMP/T is intercepting them,” Mandon said.
Associated Press writer John Leicester contributed to the report.
Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
French President Emmanuel Macron, left, welcomes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Monday, Nov. 17, 2025 before a joint press conference at the Elysee Palace in Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
French President Emmanuel Macron, left, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, center, visit the offices of the future international force known as the coalition of the willing, Monday, Nov. 17, 2025 at the Mont Valerien in Suresnes, outside Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena, Pool)
French President Emmanuel Macron, right, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shake hands after signing an agreement Monday, Nov. 17, 2025 at the Villacoublay air base near Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena, Pool)
French President Emmanuel Macron, right, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sign an agreement Monday, Nov. 17, 2025 at the Villacoublay air base near Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena, Pool)
French President Emmanuel Macron, right, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hug after signing an agreement Monday, Nov. 17, 2025 at the Villacoublay air base near Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena, Pool)
A Rafale jet fighter is seen before the arrival of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Monday, Nov. 17, 2025 at the Villacoublay air base near Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena, Pool)
A Rafale jet fighter, drones and ammunitions are seen before the arrival of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Monday, Nov. 17, 2025 at the Villacoublay air base near Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena, Pool)
A Rafale jet fighter is seen before the arrival of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Monday, Nov. 17, 2025 at the Villacoublay air base near Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena, Pool)
