Kyler Murray, DeAndre Hopkins to Play for Cardinals vs. Bears in Return from Injuries

Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury told Stacey Dales of NFL Network the team will have some star power back Sunday with quarterback Kyler Murray and wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins scheduled to play against the Chicago Bears.

Murray and Hopkins last played on Oct. 28 against the Green Bay Packers, and the Cardinals went 2-1 without them.

Murray was ruled inactive for Arizona's Week 9 game against the San Francisco 49ers as he was nursing a sprained left ankle. It was the first game he missed in his three-year career, ending a streak of 40 consecutive starts.

Murray was injured on the final play of Arizona's loss against the Packers when his ankle got rolled up on. It was the Cardinals' first loss of the season after starting the year 7-0. 

The 2019 No. 1 overall pick had established himself as an MVP candidate this season. Through eight games, he completed 72.7 percent of his passes for 2,276 yards, 17 touchdowns and seven interceptions while adding 147 yards and three scores on the ground.

Hopkins remained a primary weapon with 35 catches for 486 yards and seven touchdowns in that span.

After missing the playoffs for five straight years, the Cardinals have moved into contender status in the NFC behind the play of Murray. Murray was named to the Pro Bowl for the first time in his career in 2020 after throwing for 3,971 yards and 26 touchdowns while adding 819 rushing yards and 11 scores on the ground.

The NFC West team would likely turn to Colt McCoy once again if Murray was sidelined in the future.