Cardinals welcome back DeAndre Hopkins in win over the Saints

DeAndre Hopkins (All-Pro Reels, Wikimedia Commons)

After six weeks it became evidently clear what the Arizona Cardinals were missing from their high-octane offensive attack. It was a big receiver that Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray could rely on regularly.

On Thursday, DeAndre Hopkins of Central, South Carolina was the spark plug the Cardinals needed after a slow 2-4 start. After missing Arizona’s first six games for taking a performance enhancing drug, Hopkins had a significant impact in prime time on Prime as he caught 10 passes for 103 yards in a 42-34 Cardinals win over the New Orleans Saints.

The fact that Hopkins is back in Arizona’s offense came at the right time. A week ago the Cardinals lost wide receiver Marquise Brown of Hollywood, Florida for a month with a broken foot in a 19-9 Arizona loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Brown was the only other Cardinals receiver this year to post a game with 100 yards receiving as he caught 14 passes for 140 yards on September 25 in a 20-12 Cardinals loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Then on Monday, the Cardinals acquired Robbie Anderson of Teaneck, New Jersey from the Carolina Panthers for a sixth round draft pick in 2024 and a seventh round draft pick in 2025. In his Cardinals debut, Anderson had no impact whatsoever. He was on the football field for 12 offensive snaps, was only targeted once, and did not have a catch.

A major reason why the Cardinals beat the Saints actually came down to their defense. Despite giving up 34 points, cornerback Marco Wilson of Fort Lauderdale, Florida and linebacker Isaiah Simmons of Omaha, Nebraska both had interception returns for a touchdown in the first half.

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