Cardinals' DeAndre Hopkins Checked Himself Into Game Despite Hamstring Injury

Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury said wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins continued to check himself into Thursday night's Week 8 loss to the Green Bay Packers despite a hamstring injury.

Hopkins, who was listed as questionable before the game, aggravated the hamstring on a first-quarter catch, and the coaching staff wanted him to remain sidelined to prevent a more serious injury. The five-time Pro Bowl selection had other ideas.

"We wanted him to stay off the field, but he'd just run on," Kingsbury told reporters after the 24-21 loss. "He wants to play, super competitive and made some plays there, and we just want him to be smart, but he was definitely hurting."

Hopkins nearly scored a touchdown on his first catch. He sprinted past Packers rookie cornerback Eric Stokes for a 58-yard grab down to Green Bay's 3-yard line, but he was called for a 15-yard offensive face mask penalty that negated some of the long gain.

The 29-year-old Clemson product only played sporadic snaps from that point forward and appeared poised to take the rest of the game off after coming out for the second half without his helmet on.

Hopkins later returned to the field, however, making his second and final catch of the night midway through the third quarter. He was also on the field for the Cards' last offensive play, an interception by Kyler Murray that ended the team's effort to score a winning touchdown in the final seconds.

"He wants to be out there," Kingsbury said. "He's competitive as anybody I've been around, and he ended up making some plays. But, we also have a lot of games left so we're trying to be smart with him."

Thursday's loss was the first of the campaign for the Cardinals, who dropped to 7-1. Green Bay improved to a matching 7-1 record with its win as part of a crowded race atop the NFC standings.

The good news for the Cardinals is Hopkins will have three extra days of rest for his hamstring ahead of their Week 9 road game against the San Francisco 49ers on Nov. 7. They also have a Week 12 bye that could help him overcome the lingering injury.

Hopkins rarely misses games—he's only missed two contests across eight-plus NFL seasons—so he'll probably push to play each week even though he was clearly short of full strength Thursday.

Arizona does feature plenty of pass-catching depth, led by A.J. Green, Christian Kirk, Rondale Moore and the recently acquired Zach Ertz, so the Cards could overcome a short-term absence from their No. 1 target if the injury keeps him out.

In the big picture, Hopkins is putting together another strong campaign with 35 catches for 486 yards and seven touchdowns through eight games.