LOS ANGELES -- Arizona Cardinals rookie quarterback Kyler Murray, who is dealing with an injured hamstring, said he had to be convinced to play in Sunday's 31-24 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
Murray, who injured his right hamstring late in last week's win at the Seattle Seahawks, said he was "really" a game-time decision. He said his hamstring felt good during a pregame workout during which he tried to accelerate "a couple of times," but it felt sore just before the game. Murray was trying to err on the side of caution but said he had to be talked into playing.
"They had to like convince me just because I'm more concerned, not wanting to injure it more, but at the same time, I understood it is what it is," Murray said. "I'm a competitor. If I hurt it, I'm going to hurt it. So, when I was out there I wasn't even thinking about it."
Coach Kliff Kingsbury said after the loss that Murray was not at risk to hurt the hamstring more during the game.
"It was a deal where if he strained it more, he wouldn't have gone," Kingsbury said. "He felt it but really, you saw he didn't try to take off. We didn't run him at all. He did a nice job of not kicking it into fifth gear."
Despite Murray playing with the injury, Kingsbury thought the rookie played his best game of this season.
"It's the best game he played all season under the circumstance and particularly how they dominated us the last time," Kingsbury said, referring to the Rams' 34-7 win on Dec. 1. "It was not competitive. He came out here and gave us a chance to win today."
Murray didn't record a rushing yard on two carries while throwing for 325 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions on 26-for-42 passing.
The first overall pick in April's draft felt it was important for him to play in all 16 games and "finish what I started." He felt the effort "went a long way."
"I'm glad I did it," he said.
Murray said his hamstring limited his mobility out of the pocket but added that his immobility helped him in the long run.
"For me, honestly, I think it helped me out, just standing there, going through reads, going through progressions," Murray said. "I think it's a teaching lesson, a learning lesson for me. I'm kind of glad. Everything happens for a reason. I thought we played well today, despite two turnovers that kind of cost us."
Murray left the game briefly in the fourth quarter after hitting his funny bone. He momentarily lost feeling in his right throwing hand but went back in the game after feeling in the hand returned.
In between offensive series, Murray sat on a heat pack to keep his right hamstring warm.
"It's the most proud I've been of him all season," Kingsbury said.