Kingsbury: Cardinals need solutions to get DeAndre Hopkins more involved
Sep 20, 2021, 3:37 PM | Updated: 3:40 pm
Arizona Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins (10) tries to elude the tackle of Minnesota Vikings middle linebacker Eric Kendricks during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 19, 2021, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
(AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
The Cardinals once again flexed their offensive muscles in their second win of the season.
Quarterback Kyler Murray had no trouble finding wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins to kick things off. The duo connected four times in the opening drive, capped off by a 15-yard touchdown for Arizona’s first points of the afternoon.
From there, however, Hopkins was silent the rest of the afternoon, finishing with four catches for 54 yards and the score.
And while Rondale Moore, Maxx Williams had career days, and A.J. Green found the end zone, leaving Hopkins out of the equation is not a practice head coach Kliff Kingsbury wants to continue.
“When you’re a play-caller, you can find ways to get him the ball when a guy’s like that,” Kingsbury said after the game Sunday. “He’s one of the best receivers of all time.
“I’ve got to get him the ball and I left that game thinking that, and I’ve got to be better. They’re going to roll two guys to him and teams are going to do that and we’ve got to have an answer.”
Cardinals CB Antonio Hamilton making most of snaps
Arizona Cardinals cornerback Antonio Hamilton had been elevated from the practice squad early on this season for depth and as a special teams piece.
In the team’s Week 1 win over the Tennessee Titans, Hamilton was just that, seeing 63% (17) of special teams snaps compared to 5% (3) of the defensive snaps.
His role in Arizona’s 34-33 victory over the Minnesota Vikings, though, was much greater.
After rookie cornerback Marco Wilson injured his ankle in the second quarter, Hamilton filled the void, recording four tackles and a pass deflection on Sunday. He played 51% (31) of Arizona’s defensive snaps and 36% (13) of special teams snaps.
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“We were really impressed by the way he competed,” Kingsbury said Monday. “For a guy who’s been here only for a couple of weeks and only had a few reps defensively stepped in and played at a high level for us and made some plays. That was good to see.
“He’s gotta keep coming. We gotta get him more in tune with our scheme and what we’re trying to do but I really liked the way he competed.”
Kelvin Beachum, Wilson day-to-day entering Week 3
Unlike some of the other teams in the NFL, the Cardinals fared well in the injury department in Week 2. That doesn’t mean they got out of the weekend unscathed.
Two Cardinals left Sunday’s win over the Vikings due to injury in Kelvin Beachum and Wilson. Both are day-to-day, per Kingsbury.
“We’ll see how they progress through the week and then see where they’re at on Sunday,” the head coach said Monday.
Wilson left the action first, suffering an ankle injury in the second quarter. Beachum played the first half, but was seen on the sideline with a blue wrap around his torso in the second. Neither returned.
