The 49ers might run into a bit of good injury luck in their Week 9 matchup with the Arizona Cardinals. Quarterback Kyler Murray and wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins have both missed the first two days of practice for Arizona despite getting extra time off after their Thursday night game in Week 8.
Murray hurt his ankle late in the Cardinals loss to the Packers and reports have varied on his potential availability, but for Arizona it’s not a good sign that the speedy QB has missed the first two days of practice. Their backup QB Colt McCoy is in line to start if Murray can’t play.
For San Francisco though it may be an easier task for them even if Murray does play. His mobility is so key to making Arizona’s offense dangerous that having that limited at all makes stopping Murray at least a little bit less daunting.
Arizona is also loaded at receiver, but Hopkins is their most dangerous player at that spot. He’s been working through a hamstring injury that he aggravated in the Cardinals’ Thursday night game. Hopkins has been a 49ers killer since joining the Cardinals in a pre-season trade a year ago. In three games against San Francisco he has 28 catches for 286 yards and a touchdown. Even if he’s hobbled he’s dangerous enough to be a factor.
Not listed on the practice report is wide receiver AJ Green, who is on the Reserve/COVID-19 list as of Thursday. He’s had a career resurgence in his first year in Arizona and would be another significant absence if he’s unable to suit up Sunday.
All eyes will be on the Cardinals injury report Friday. Two days of non-participation don’t bode well for Murray and Hopkins, but both players are good enough to be impactful with limited or no practice. If they don’t play though, Sunday becomes a very winnable game for the 49ers.
