GREEN BAY – The piece looked pretty simple.

On the Cardinals’ second snap from scrimmage last week in San Francisco, quarterback Kyler Murray made a zone read from midfield, stripping running back James Conner of the handoff and keeping it for himself.

As Murray ran around the right side and turned the corner with the ball in his right arm, he had barely gained 10 yards when he raised his left arm in triumph. He knew he was scoring, and sure enough, he sprinted unhindered 50 yards to the touchdown.

“I’m not going to lie, he was crazy fast on it,” rookie safety Javon Bullard said. “He threw the deuce when he was about 40 yards away.”

It’s the type of play that’s downright scary because it looks so easy, but is quick and easy to break through thanks to Murray’s 5-foot-10 speed. Trusting each defender to do their job is paramount because “who has the jump, who has the quarterback,” head coach Matt LaFleur said.

“But it’s certainly not like they’re just studying zone reading.”

And therein lies the problem with a QB like Murray, an ultra-quick, elusive runner with a strong arm who is dangerous enough when he drops back to pass and starts scrambling.

Add in the designed runs, such as zone reads, and the problems multiply.

That’s why, as the Packers begin their preparation for the Cardinals this week, coaches put together a highlight reel of Murray making plays with his legs, sliding all over the field, evading tacklers and then taking off or making a long throw.

“There’s a clip where he’s running around and ducking and three guys are kind of running into each other, like a Three Stooges episode,” defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley said.

“Don’t be a Stooge” isn’t exactly an inspirational catchphrase, but the message is clear: Never assume a certain snapshot is finished with this guy.

“When the play is over, it’s still going, you know what I mean?” Bullard said. “Plaster is alive.”

“Band-Aid” is what defensive backs call a coverage tactic when a QB starts to struggle. Find a receiver and stick with them. Any defender who has no one to cover needs to keep an eye on the QB.

The preference is not to let Murray get confused. Keep it in your bag and try to fold it around it. That’s easier said than done. Whenever he runs, designs or improvises, he’s averaging more than 10 yards per attempt this season.

The good news is that the Packers have been preparing all season for true dual-threat quarterbacks who can make zone reads, fire rockets down the field or take off scrambles, starting with the trip to Brazil in Week 1 to face Philly Jalen Hurts. Anthony Richardson of Indy followed.

So preparing for a QB like Murray is not a foreign defensive concept, and the Packers have done well in the first few weeks, particularly against Hurts, to contain that mobility.

But Murray presents a challenge all his own.

“In my opinion, both guys are dual threats, but Kyler is a little different,” Bullard said. “We felt like Jalen was more of a pure passer with the ball in his hands and that he would grab when he had to, not necessarily when he wanted to.”

“Kyler, on the other hand, when he defends, it’s almost like he’s trying to score.”

The Packers know what to expect.

“We better make sure we’re on task,” defensive lineman Kenny Clark said. “Make us disciplined and make him smart.”

More drama on deck?: The Packers and Cardinals don’t meet often – only four times in the last decade – but the last three meetings have come literally in the final seconds of the game.

In the 2015 NFC Divisional Playoffs at Arizona, the Packers tied the game in the final moment of regulation when QB Aaron Rodgers scored a 41-yard Hail Mary touchdown to Jeff Janis – who also had a 60-yard pass on fourth-and-20 from the Green Bay 4-yard line just a few snaps earlier to keep the final attempt alive. But the Cardinals responded with a 75-yard catch-and-run from receiver Larry Fitzgerald in the opening moments of overtime, setting up the game-winning score two plays later.

In 2018, at Lambeau Field, the Packers trailed by three points with less than two minutes left and got within field goal range, but kicker Mason Crosby missed a 49-yarder on the final play of the 20-17 loss. A few hours later, Mike McCarthy’s nearly 13-year tenure as Green Bay’s head coach ended with his firing.

In 2021, in a Thursday night away game in late October, the Cardinals were the last remaining undefeated team in the league at 7-0, facing the Packers at 6-1. Green Bay led by three points and had a chance to extend the lead with 3½ minutes left, but was stopped from the 1st on fourth-and-2. The Cardinals were driving the other way and were facing second-and-goal from 5th with just 15 seconds left when newly signed cornerback Rasul Douglas – who joined the Packers from the Cardinals’ practice squad just a few weeks earlier – Murray intercepted in the end zone to secure a heartbreaking win in Green Bay.