Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray and head coach Kliff Kingsbury both said that the team does not view wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins as an offensive savior this week, but the wideout still wound up in the forefront of their offensive plans on Thursday night.
That played out well for the Cardinals. Hopkins was targeted 14 times and made 10 catches for 103 yards in his first game back from a six-game suspension. Hopkins also drew a couple of penalties to help the team on its way to a 42-34 home win.
“I spent a lot of time in the offseason preparing for this moment,” Hopkins said, via the team’s website. “Obviously I knew what I was up against, being out six games.Today was a success. The main goal is to win. If I had 10 catches for 10 yards, if we would’ve won the game I’d still be ecstatic.”
The Cardinals probably wouldn’t have won if Hopkins posted that kind of line and the hope in Arizona will be that the veteran wideout’s presence helps them to a lot more wins in the coming weeks.