When it happened, the entire NFL knew it.
Arizona Cardinals DeAndre Hopkins had just made one of the best catches in recent history, a 43-yard bomb from Kyler Murray to lead the Cardinals past the Buffalo Bills 32-30.
DEANDRE HOPKINS CATCHES THE HAIL MARY FOR THE WIN! 🚨
Then, Twitter exploded with responses from around the NFL, and rightfully so.
@DeAndreHopkins is a monster man!!!
DeAndre Hopkins – wow
DEANDRE HOPKINS IS DIFFERENT
Best hands in the NFL. DeAndre Hopkins is amazing.
This is why you trade for DeAndre Hopkins
(and why you don’t trade him away 🙃)
The pass came in the waning moments of the nonconference matchup between the Cardinals and the Bills. Just after Bills quarterback Josh Allen hit Stefon Diggs with a 21-yard touchdown pass to push the Bills ahead 30-26, the Cardinals put together a four-play 75-yard drive for the touchdown.
In just three plays the Cardinals marched 32 yards down the field before Hopkins came down with one of the best catches of the season in the middle of three Bills defenders to give the Cardinals their sixth win of the season.
Hopkins finished the game with seven catches for 127 yards and his one touchdown.
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A Matchup Between Two No. 1’s
Hopkins and Diggs were both traded this offseason for various reasons and one of the big storylines heading into the matchup was what each receiver brought to their new teams. So far through the 2020 season, they’ve brought a lot.
After catching 10 passes for 93 yards and a touchdown on Sunday, Diggs continued to solidify his spot as one of the best receivers in the NFL. He led the NFL with 813 yards and three touchdowns heading into Sunday and has averaged 12.9 yards per catch while averaging 90.3 yards per game.
Hopkins continues to be a problem for opposing defenses, even with his new team and offense. Heading into Sunday he was fifth in the NFL with 734 yards and three touchdowns while averaging 91.8 yards per game.
Both players were responsible for big plays throughout the matchup on Sunday and Hopkins came down with one of the biggest plays of the season.
Pennies On A Dollar
In the offseason, then Houston Texans general manager and head football coach Bill O’Brien traded Hopkins to the Cardinals in what is considered one of the worst trade hauls of all-time. In exchange for Hopkins, the Texans received a 2020 second round pick and a 2021 fourth round pick.
Plenty of speculation surrounded this trade as the relationship between Hopkins and O’Brien had soured in the past few years. Sports Illustrated’s Conor Orr called the trade a ‘colossal mistake’ on the Texans part and changed the trajectory of the franchise, especially with Deshaun Watson at quarterback.
Twitter also made that statement known on Sunday after Hopkins’ almost impossible catch.
Bill O’Brien really traded deandre Hopkins for David Johnson lmao never forget
Imagine trading DeAndre Hopkins…
Proving His Worth
So far through his first nine games in Arizona, Hopkins has topped 100 yards five different times and has also caught a touchdown in four while only receiving double-digit receptions three times. He’s also only received double-digit targets twice this season.
Hopkins performance isn’t anything new though as he’s been one of the best receivers in the NFL since he entered the league in 2013. In eight years, Hopkins has over 9,300 yards and 57 touchdowns with five seasons of over 1,000 receiving yards.
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Twitter Explodes After DeAndre Hopkins Makes Improbable Catch to Beat Bills