DeAndre Hopkins' Return Impresses NFL Twitter in Cardinals' Win Over Saints

It turns out life with DeAndre Hopkins is a lot better than life without him for the Arizona Cardinals.

Arizona went 2-4 while he was suspended for six games for violating the NFL's performance-enhancing drug policy but defeated the New Orleans Saints in his return with a 42-34 victory in Thursday's NFC clash at State Farm Stadium.

The five-time Pro Bowler finished with 10 catches for 103 yards, but his impact went beyond the statistics. Whether he was drawing penalties, creating space for teammates or even putting his arm around Kyler Murray in an attempt to calm the quarterback down during a heated exchange with head coach Kliff Kingsbury, Hopkins made his presence felt.

He also impressed social media in the process:

Even with Hopkins' return, it seemed like more of the same for the Cardinals when they fell behind 14-6 after two early touchdown passes from Andy Dalton. But primetime Dalton giveth and primetime Dalton taketh away for his team, and he threw pick-sixes to Marco Wilson and Isaiah Simmons in the second quarter.

Just like that, the Cardinals were in control with a 28-14 halftime lead and never really looked back after intermission.

Second-half touchdowns from Greg Dortch and Eno Benjamin helped keep New Orleans at bay. While scores for Dortch, Benjamin and Keaontay Ingram may not be what fantasy managers wanted, it underscored Hopkins' ability to open things up for his teammates because of the attention he draws.

He will look to do more of that and perhaps find the end zone himself as the Cardinals hit the road to face the Minnesota Vikings.