DeAndre Hopkins’ return sparks hope for anemic Cardinals’ offense – Arizona Cardinals Blog

TEMPE, Ariz. — The numbers don’t lie, but they might not always tell the entire story either.

Take wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who returns Thursday night from a six-game suspension for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing drug policy when the Arizona Cardinals take on the New Orleans Saints (8:15 p.m. ET, Prime Video). He didn’t reach 100 yards in any of the 10 games he played last season, which was unusual for a receiver with 37 career games in triple-digit yards.

That means Hopkins didn’t reach 100 yards in any game during the Cardinals’ scorching 7-0 start last season, which was surprising, considering he was Arizona’s No. 1 receiving option.

“A lot of people look at it as a down year for someone like myself,” Hopkins said. “But, I look at that as a productive year because I got a lot of guys open.”

Just making defenses account for Hopkins was a factor in Arizona’s regular-season success in 2021.

The Cardinals hope his presence makes a difference Thursday night, when he takes the field for the first time since Dec. 13, 2021 after he suffered an MCL injury that forced him to miss the rest of the season. The Cardinals badly need a spark for an offense that’s been ineffective and downright frustrating to those who operate in it.

It’s a tall order for someone who will not have played in 311 days. For as much as the Cardinals welcomed Hopkins back with open arms this week, they have also been realistic: Hopkins can’t solve all of the Cardinals’ problems on offense himself.

“We’ve still got things we’ve got to be better at,” quarterback Kyler Murray said. “We’ve still got things we need to fix. Obviously, having [Hopkins] back definitely helps, but we’ve still got to be better in all the areas that we’re not good in right now.”

Hopkins is returning to an offense in desperate need of CPR.

The Cardinals have scored just three points…