The Arizona Cardinals are undefeated when both defensive end J.J. Watt and wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins are in the lineup.
The Arizona Cardinals made quite a splash back in 2020 when they orchestrated a trade for wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins. One has to wonder what was going through the minds of the Houston Texans hierarchy when they allowed such a dynamic player to get out of town.
One year later, in March of 2021, the Cards made another high-profile addition to the roster. This time around, general manager Steve Keim acquired J.J. Watt, the five-time Pro Bowler who excelled as a defensive end with the Texans for 10 seasons.
It was in no way surprising when the presence of the duo on the playing field greatly improved Arizona’s chances of winning last fall. In fact, the Redbirds emerged victorious in all seven of the matchups that featured both Hopkins and Watt in the starting lineup.
Arizona Cardinals won’t have both DeAndre Hopkins and J.J. Watt in the lineup until week 7
Unfortunately, the Cardinals will have to play five more games without one half of the pair in the coming weeks. Hopkins is serving a suspension after testing positive for a PED and is not eligible to return until a week 7 clash with the New Orleans Saints.
The Cards also have the health of Watt to contend with. The 6 foot 5, 288 pounder already missed last Sunday’s blowout loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Whether Watt will be able to avoid the injury bug throughout the remainder of the campaign is a genuine concern for the coaching staff.
There’s a general feeling around the organization that Hopkins will hit the ground running when he rejoins his teammates on October 20th. A healthy Watt could also do wonders for a defensive unit that got embarrassed by the Chiefs on opening day. Having both stud performers on hand and accounted for could ultimately be the best remedy for a Cardinals squad that is looking to soar.