One of the weirdest storylines during the NFL offseason was based around an old area of contention - are video games bad for you?
Most of us can remember a time when news stations would run salacious story headlines claiming that video games, particularly violent video games, were bad for children. In the 2022 offseason, Kyler made headlines when an NFL analyst was quoted as saying that he played too much Call of Duty. Worse still, the Arizona Cardinals tried to add a clause in his new contract requiring certain amounts of time be dedicated to “film study”.
What do the numbers say? Does Call of Duty’s yearly release effect Murray’s passing stats in the NFL? Let’s have a look!
Unfortunately for video game lovers, the numbers unequivocally say “YES!”. In games before that year’s COD release, Murray threw for more yards a game and has scored 13 more touchdowns. Kyler’s yards per game and completion % go down statistically after Call of Duty is released.
While these numbers are much more likely linked to causation than correlation, we suggest Kyler take some time away from the console during the football season. Kyler Murrary’s previous 3 NFL seasons have taught us that lobbing virtual grenades behind enemy lines does not help you throw better on the football field.
