Arizona Cardinals star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins didn't practice all week due to a hamstring injury, but he was still out there to start Thursday night's game against the Green Bay Packers.
However, Hopkins' hamstring injury brought his evening to an abrupt halt after a spectacular 55-yard first-quarter play in which he could be seen briefly grabbing at the back of his leg.
Hopkins left the game after that play, was questionable to return and looked like he would be ruled out, but eventually came back. In all, he played in just 14 snaps and had two catches for 66 yards in the Cardinals' 24-21 defeat.
“We wanted him to stay off the field, but he’d just run on," Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury said. "He wants to play. He’s super competitive. He made some plays there. We just want to be smart, but he was definitely hurting.”
Kingsbury had no update on Hopkins' status going forward.
“He had a hamstring issue, he’s been dealing with it," Kingsbury said.
Hopkins was questionable coming into the game, but the five-time Pro Bowler has missed just two games in his NFL career and made it out for the much-anticipated prime-time tilt.
Even though Hopkins toughed it out and was able to contribute in part, his absence was still largely felt.
“Obviously, you take the best receiver in the game out, it makes it a little tough,” quarterback Kyler Murray said.
In the midst of his second season with the Cardinals, Hopkins has never missed a game for Arizona, and previously during his eight-plus NFL seasons with Arizona and Houston, he’d played in 133 of a possible 135 games.
Though Kingsbury didn't offer up anything regarding Hopkins' status for Week 9, he stressed that the team wants to be cautious.
“We also have a lot of games left," Kingsbury said, "so we’re trying to be smart with him."