Cardinals update injury status of Kyler Murray, DeAndre Hopkins ahead of Panthers matchup
The Cardinals could be extraordinarily short-handed when they take on the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Arizona is dealing with a litany of injuries to their star offensive players.
“Three Cardinals – Kyler Murray, DeAndre Hopkins, Rondale Moore – are questionable for Sunday,” tweeted Schefter. “Moore is the most likely to play, Hopkins the least, and it doesn’t sound promising for Murray, per sources. Cards will make final decisions in pregame, but sounds like QB-WR inactive.”
While Moore was able to play last Sunday against the 49ers, Murray and Hopkins also missed the game against San Francisco. Still, the Cardinals handled their business — defeating their division rival, 31-17.
In Murray’s stead, it was former Texas star Colt McCoy getting the call. The backup quarterback was fantastic, as McCoy completed 22 of 26 passes — accumulating 256 yards and a touchdown.
As for replacing Hopkins, it was a group effort between Christian Kirk, James Conner and Antoine Wesley. Kirk led the group with six catches for 91 yards, while Conner caught McCoy’s touchdown pass.
Furthermore, Conner was splendid running the football in the victory. The former Pittsburgh star ran the ball 21 times — amassing 96 yards and two scores on the ground.
While Moore has the best shot of playing of the three, he only had five receptions for 25 yards last Sunday. In a later update, Schefter confirmed that Moore is likely to play.
The Arizona Cardinals currently sit at 8-1, the top team in the NFC. Even with a bevy of starters hurting, they’ll attempt to weather the storm of injuries that are piling up.
Cardinals at Panthers: Will we see Cam Newton?
In addition to the Cardinals injury questions, many are wondering if we’ll see Cam Newton take the field for the Panthers today. Earlier this week, Panthers offensive coordinator Joe Brady revealed that Newton could see the field on Sunday.
On Friday, Brady said that “everything is on the table” with Newton this week, per Around the NFL’s Kevin Patra. However, P.J. Walker is expected to get his first start of the season for the Panthers.
If the Panthers get into short yardage or red zone situations on Sunday, Newton’s name could be called. While he isn’t likely to get the majority of the snaps, at least not to begin the game, Newton could very well find himself on the field at some point.
Panthers general manager Scott Fitterer said on Thursday that Newton’s role for this week has not yet been determined.
“It depends how quickly he can pick it up and how comfortable our coaches feel about putting him in,” Fitterer said.