TEMPE (Ariz.) — The day following the Arizona CardinalsKliff Kingsbury, NFL coach, said that the season ended in the wild-card round. DeAndre HopkinsTheir finish was influenced by Week 14.
Kingsbury stated, “It was significant, there’s not any doubt.” Kingsbury said, “It’s a top player in any position in the league. You saw some issues in the red zone, especially with touchdown percentage.
“He’s a gentleman, you need to know his defense position every snap and have the ability to make things happen to get him away. This opens up other areas of your offense, and so he has a lot of value when it comes down to being on the football field. Unfortunately, we didn’t have any. And that allowed us to learn and improve the next time he was absent. It’s unlikely, we hope.
Kingsbury stated what everyone knew. He could have said it in a dozen ways but it did not reflect the impact that losing Hopkins had on the Cardinals’ offense. It changed everything.
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Hopkins fell late in Week 14’s loss to the Los Angeles RamsArizona’s offense was thrown off its feet when a player fell on Monday Night Football. This led to the end of the season. The Cardinals went 10-2, and were about to go 10-3. They also had the best record in the NFL and held a strong grip on the NFC West.
After that, the season was ruined. The Cardinals fell to 1-4 with Hopkins out of the season, which included the playoff loss. Hopkins also missed three games after a Week 8 defeat to Green Bay. The Cardinals averaged 18.8 in their final five games without Hopkins as compared to 30.2 in games with Hopkins.
It’s more than Arizona not scoring. It was not moving the ball. From Week 15 to the wild-card match, the yard differential was minus 26. Hopkins and quarterback Kyler MurrayWe were there — Murray missed three of the November games along with Hopkins — it was plus-62.
Passing touchdowns per try dropped from 5.9% to Hopkins to 2.4% in December and January. Kingsbury stated that the struggle was not over in the red zone. Arizona’s red-zone touchdown rate was 65.9% with Hopkins. It was 35.7% without Hopkins.
Murray’s completion percentage with Hopkins was 71.6%, and it was 63.1% without Hopkins. Arizona averaged 1.91 passing touchdowns per game without Hopkins, while Arizona averaged 1.91 with Hopkins.
Hopkins’ presence on the field influenced how defenses played Cardinals. Murray was blitzed three times per game more without Hopkins in December, January and February.
Murray stated, “I don’t know what’s going on with us differently.” “I know that DeAndre Hopkins won’t be there so you’ll look different personnel-wise.
Murray called Hopkins’ absence from the field “tough” It was tough for Murray as well. He completed 3.6% less throws of 20 yards or more without Hopkins, and his average time in the pocket fell to.04 seconds.
Hopkins finished the year with 572 receiving miles and a team-high 8 touchdowns. He also caught 42 passes in 10 games. No teammate was able to match Hopkins’ total in the five remaining games without him. Tight end Zach ErtzHad 28 catches for 253 yard and wide receiver Christian KirkHad 24 yards and a touchdown. A.J. GreenThere were 12 in 194. Antoine WesleyHopkins’s role was essentially filled by undrafted receiver Jeremy Wesley, who played for Kingsbury at Texas Tech. In the last five games, Wesley scored three touchdowns, all from the receiver position to Murray’s left. This is also where Hopkins was lined up.
Good news for the Cardinals! Kingsbury stated that Hopkins will be 100% in the next month.
Kingsbury said, “Hop. You’re talking about one of the top ten players in all league.” “It will start there when your game-planning begins, and without that, you have to find alternative ways.”