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But the 26-year-old is only getting stronger as the year wears on.
Murray took 41 touches (32 carries, nine receptions) for 228 yards (179 rushing, 49 receiving) and a touchdown, leading the Dallas Cowboys to a 41-28 win over the Chicago Bears on Thursday night at Soldier Field.
With the win, the Cowboys (9-4) move past eight victories for the first time since 2009. Tony Romo threw for 205 yards and three touchdowns, Cole Beasley had two scores and Dallas dominated in every facet of the game before taking its foot off the pedal in the fourth quarter.
Romo discussed the joy of finally getting over the .500 hump, via ESPN's Calvin Watkins:
Bleacher Report's Matt Bowen pointed to Dallas' dominance in the trenches, which has been a theme all season:
Dez Bryant, who had six receptions for 82 yards, talked about his team's potential:
Jay Cutler threw for 341 yards and two touchdowns, but most of that came in garbage time. For the Bears (5-8), it's the newest in a long line of embarrassing defeats in 2014, as Pro Football Talk's Michael David Smith pointed out:
In what was expected to be an offensive slugfest, the opening four drives all resulted in punts. Bruce Carter got his hand on the last of those, setting up the Cowboys at midfield.
It was all Murray from there, as he touched the ball on the next nine plays and finished off the methodical march with a one-yard touchdown run.
After Cutler tied the game by orchestrating an impressive 80-yard drive, the 'Boys went right back to the same formula. With a heavy dose of Murray and Bryant, they slowly moved down the field, ultimately finding the end zone on Beasley's 13-yard reception.
It was the second consecutive double-digit-play scoring drive for Dallas, and NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah noted the immense difference in ball control in the first half:
NFL Network's Rich Eisen put the half into perspective:
While it was all about Murray before halftime, Dallas' passing game shined in the third quarter.
Following a Matt Forte fumble, Romo bought time by escaping the pocket and found Beasley for his second touchdown of the game.
Troy Hughes of 105.3 The Fan pointed out the rarity of the feat for the third-year wide receiver:
On the next drive, Bryant easily pulled down a 43-yard jump ball, securing his place in Cowboys lore alongside a pair of all-time greats:
Everyone would ultimately get into the offensive act for Dallas. Gavin Escobar caught a six-yard touchdown, Joseph Randle took his first touch 17 yards to the house and the Cowboys increased the lead to 35-7 late in the third quarter.
A successful onside kick helped Chicago score a pair of touchdowns in a 68-second span in the fourth quarter, but Bryant recovered the ensuing attempt and the Cowboys went right back to Murray, scoring on their seventh straight possession with a Dan Bailey field goal.
The Bears moved right back down the field before Cutler sealed the loss with an interception in the end zone. Rotoworld's Patrick Daugherty summed up the finish:
Even with nine victories, the 'Boys may need to win two of their last three to secure a wild-card spot in the stacked NFC. But with a trip to Philadelphia against the Eagles next week, the East division is clearly still within reach.
As for the Bears, they return to national television against the New Orleans Saints next Monday night.
After another ugly showing, however, the team's focus is starting to shift toward the offseason, where it'll need to fix a broken defense.
Read more Dallas Cowboys news on BleacherReport.com
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