Kingsbury, Keim: Hopkins Absence Impacted Offense in 2021
INDIANAPOLIS -- Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins has cemented himself as one of the best receivers in the NFL, thanks to his ability to come down with nearly every and any football thrown his way.
No matter the coverage, Hopkins likes to think of himself as open, and quarterback Kyler Murray has trusted his catch radius on more than one occasion.
So it shouldn't be rocket science to understand how the loss of Hopkins would impact Arizona's offense. Hopkins has remained substantially healthy throughout his career since entering the league in 2013, yet 2021 was the first year where Hopkins failed to play in at least 15 games.
Hopkins appeared in only 10 games after missing time to a hamstring injury and eventually a knee injury that landed him on the reserve/injured list Dec. 18.
Hopkins has recently said he was ahead of his rehab schedule in an interview at Super Bowl LVI, a good sign for a Cardinals offense that will surely count on a healthy return from Hopkins in 2022.
Criticism surrounded head coach Kliff Kingsbury when the Cardinals failed to produce consistent scoring following Hopkins' departure, ultimately playing a big role in why Arizona lost four of the final five games before burning out in the Wild Card round against the Rams.
Kingsbury opened up to reporters at the NFL Combine on Tuesday, expressing his views on why he faulted himself for their failures when Hopkins went down.
"I think after doing some reflection, the biggest thing was when we lost Hop, I didn't do a good job schematically adjusting some things that could have taken some pressure off of Kyler, I think," said Kingsbury.
"You lose a piece like that, you got to find a way to be more creative I think and I gotta be better at that. But I think we've improved each year offensively. Obviously didn't like the way we finished, but we got to continue to be creative and try to put Kyler in positions to be successful and surround him with talent, so they should make plays."
Cardinals general manager Steve Keim also referenced Hopkins being out as a reason for the team's poor finish to the season.
“I think it's one of those things, you try to put your finger on it and you look back and try to self-evaluate. I know we didn't play as well offensively. I thought we played out of sync," Keim said.
"You know, the offensive line was banged up. Losing Hop was a big deal because so many things come down to what he can do in that x-spot. Obviously, not just his ability to catch balls in contested situations, to create big-time mismatches, but his ability to pull coverage from other players, where guys like Christian Kirk and A.J. Green and Rondale Moore can benefit. So anytime you lose a player of Hop’s magnitude, it certainly hurts.”
