At 3-6, the Cardinals’ 2022 campaign probably couldn’t be going any worse.
Arizona has lost four of its last five games while Kyler Murray — after receiving a mega contract extension — has performed like one of the NFL’s worst quarterbacks. And, amidst all the chaos, Kliff Kingsbury doesn’t seem to have any answers to pull his team out of a tailspin.
It hasn’t translated to on-field team results just yet, but DeAndre Hopkins has undoubtedly been a boon to the Cardinals’ offense since he returned from a PED-related suspension. The star receiver has 26 catches for 298 yards and two scores in three games thus far.
And if you thought Arizona, particularly GM Steve Keim, wasn’t ecstatic to have Hopkins come back and potentially rescue them, this clip from Hard Knocks In Season — where Keim literally hugs Hopkins in his first practice back — will tell you how much they’re leaning on the superstar:
An understandably lengthy hug from GM Steve Keim upon DHop’s return lol pic.twitter.com/OZ5NsDfOPp
— Brad Spielberger, Esq. (@PFF_Brad) November 10, 2022
Uh, yeah. I’d probably hug the best receiver in football, too, if my team’s offense couldn’t get anything significant rolling along in his absence. Totally understandable.
If it’s any consolation for the Cardinals’ hopes for the rest of the year, they’re currently slated to play just two teams with winning records at the moment — the Chargers and the Patriots. And neither of those squads has inspired much hope for positive consistency either. Meanwhile, the rival Rams, who the Cardinals play this weekend, continue to flounder as well.
That said, given the way Arizona’s season has unfolded, Keim and Co. probably need Hopkins to continue acting as their “Superman” of sorts.
