Cardinals' DeAndre Hopkins has 'chance' to return in playoffs

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins Michael Chow/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

Report: Cardinals WR DeAndre Hopkins headed to IR, has 'chance' to return deep in playoffs

By Victor Barbosa | Last updated 12/16/21

Arizona Cardinals All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins' regular season is officially over, but depending on how the team does in the playoffs, there's a chance he could return in time to still make an impact.

Sources: #AZCardinals WR DeAndre Hopkins is having knee surgery on his torn MCL in the coming days and is headed to Injured Reserve. His regular season is over, but if AZ advances deep in the playoffs, Hopkins has a chance to return. He’s looking at likely 6 weeks of recovery.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 16, 2021

Hopkins had an MRI on his injured knee earlier this week and received opinions from multiple doctors before the decision was made. Hopkins missed three games earlier in the season with a hamstring injury.

Despite the missed time, "Nuk" still leads the team with eight touchdown receptions. His 572 receiving yards placed him third on the squad though, trailing Christian Kirk (718) and A.J. Green (654).

Hopkins had five catches for 54 yards on Monday against the Los Angeles Rams before being sidelined, in a game L.A. played without star cornerback Jalen Ramsey due to COVID-19 protocols.

The Cardinals (10-4) are in first place in the NFC West and will take on the Detroit Lions at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.

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