Latest Deandre Hopkins Injury Update Is Bad News for Cardinals Bettors
When it was revealed that DeAndre Hopkins tore his MCL, the expectation for many was he was lost for the season. That still could be true as the latest paints a bleak picture for him and the Arizona Cardinals the rest of the year.
According to the latest from Adam Schefter, Hopkins could play again either in the NFC Championship game and/or Super Bowl after undergoing surgery to repair a torn MCL earlier this week.
Cardinals’ WR DeAndre Hopkins, who tore his MCL last week, “could be back” for the NFC Championship Game or Super Bowl if the Cardinals were to make it that far, per source. But it would be “unrealistic” to expect him to return any earlier, said the source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 19, 2021
While this is a best-case scenario for Hopkins, it's not good news for the Cardinals. They will have to win at least one playoff game without their top wide out and likely at least two before he's even in a position to return to the field. That's bad considering the road the would currently need to take to get there.
The Cardinals are currently +900 to win the Super Bowl at WynnBET and +450 to win the NFC Championship. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+230) and Green Bay Packers (+300) are above them in the NFC standings. That's because as things currently stand, the Cardinals would currently face the 49ers in the wild card round and then likely the Bucs in Tampa Bay in the divisional round. Hard to imagine this team getting past those two opponents.
Even if they did win those two games, they would then face a Packers team they already lost to at home. This time it could be in Lambeau. In January. In the freezing cold. Hard to imagine Hopkins playing on that surface coming off a torn MCL. Even if he does, hard to imagine the Cardinals winning.
Not trying to be a downer for those who picked the Cardinals to win the Super Bowl in preseason with odds of +5000. Good luck to you with that bet. But without Hopkins playing in the first two potential playoff games, and the possibility of him not playing until the Super Bowl, it's hard to imagine a path for the Cardinals to win it all.