Wideouts healthy enough to play for the Arizona Cardinals
By Jim Koch
After wearing questionable tags all week, both DeAndre Hopkins and Christian Kirk will give it a go for the Arizona Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals fans, upon waking up on Sunday morning, got some really good news. After a week of uncertainty, ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting that two of the squad’s key wide receivers will give it a go when Big Red takes to the field later today.
When the Cards take on the Carolina Panthers this afternoon, both DeAndre Hopkins and Christian Kirk will be out there with their teammates. In the days leading up to the matchup, the pass-catching duo were nursing injuries that threatened their week-four availability. Arizona, looking to bounce back from last Sunday’s loss to the Detroit Lions, will now have their full compliment of wideouts at their disposal.
The most important part of the scenario, of course, is Hopkins. Through three weeks, the Cardinals highly-publicized offseason acquisition leads the NFL in both receptions (32) and receiving yards (356). Having Hopkins out there is of vital importance to quarterback Kyler Murray, who served up three debilitating interceptions to the Lions last weekend.
Hopkins was forced to sit out all three of the Cards practices this past week with an injured ankle. It was announced on Friday that the four-time Pro Bowler’s status would not be decided until right before the game with Carolina got underway. The fact that Hopkins has already been declared healthy enough to participate is certainly a positive, although head coach Kliff Kingsbury has stated that the star will be at less than 100% if he does play.
Getting Kirk back in the lineup should also bring a smile to Murray’s face. Despite the third-year pro’s slow start (just three catches for 57 yards in two appearances), Kirk can still provide some exceptional speed for the Cardinals “Air Raid” offense. The 23-year old missed the contest with Detroit after suffering a pulled groin during a week-two victory over the Washington football team.