SF 49ers vs. Cardinals: Why DeAndre Hopkins remains a key threat

DeAndre Hopkins had one of his best games of the season in Week 1 and could do so again if the SF 49ers don’t make adjustments from their last matchup.

In Week 1, the (healthy) SF 49ers faced off against the Arizona Cardinals, and the Cardinals were able to come away with the 24-20 win. The Niners put up a valiant effort, but ultimately, quarterback Kyler Murray and wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins were too much for San Francisco to handle.

Hopkins was a force to be reckoned with, as he seemed to get open at will and was reimbursed with 16 targets from Murray. Hopkins didn’t let him down, though, lighting up the 49ers secondary for 151 yards. Despite not finding the end zone, he was a huge part of their success against San Francisco.

If the SF 49ers want to have a shot against the Cardinals (at home?), they are going to need to eliminate the Murray–Hopkins connection.

Hopkins is able to win in multiple ways and found most of his success in the short-to-intermediate levels of the field.

Extension of the Run Game

No, Hopkins isn’t out there running the rock between the tackles, but some of what he does at the receiver position can be considered an extension of the run game. Head coach and play-caller, Kliff Kingsbury, likes to get the ball into his playmaker’s hands early and often, as evident from the clip above.

The Cardinals have no issue throwing the ball to Hopkins on a quick screen if the corner is playing off coverage. He isn’t the most elusive player with the ball in his hands, but he’s crafty enough to create yards after the catch and help to keep both the chains and clock moving.

For the most part, the SF 49ers were able to keep Hopkins from breaking free on these quick passes, but they need to be conscious of this heading into Saturday’s match-up and continue getting all eleven caps to the ball.

Attacking Leverage

Beyond being an extremely talented wide receiver, Hopkins is always a very intelligent and savvy route runner. In the clip above you can see him attacking the intermediate areas of the field against the SF 49ers defense, mostly outside the numbers.

In their first matchup against the Cardinals, San Francisco ran quite a bit of Cover 3 and Cover 4. They were looking to eliminate explosive plays from Arizona, but it led to the Cardinals dinking and dunking their way to a win. For most of the game, Hopkins was able to slip into creases and manipulate the coverage in order to create separation.

Being that the SF 49ers were running Cover 3 and Cover 4, Hopkins would get out of his stance like he is going to go vertical — forcing San Francisco’s secondary to respect the deep threat and give cushion over the top — then he would snap his route off and Murray would hit him for a solid gain.

In order to stop the Cardinals and Hopkins from moving the ball as they did in the first game, the SF 49ers will need to press him at the line of scrimmage and give safety help over the top to avoid an easy touchdown(s). Getting someone on him at the LOS will help to throw off his and Murray’s timing on these routes.

There is no real way to stop DeAndre Hopkins, but there are ways where you can attempt to slow him down. Putting a corner on him at the line each and every play may eventually slow him down by the end of the game, but even then it’s still DeAndre Hopkins.