HEADLINE

Cardinals put WR Kirk, G Iupati on injured reserve

The Sports Xchange

December 03, 2018 at 2:21 pm.

The Arizona Cardinals produced their best win of the season on Sunday, a 20-17 victory over the Packers in Green Bay.

But it came at a cost on offense.

Cardinals coach Steve Wilks announced Monday that rookie wide receiver Christian Kirk suffered a broken foot and will be placed on injured reserve.

Wilks also announced that starting left guard Mike Iupati will be put on injured reserve with a knee injury.

Kirk had three receptions for 54 yards Sunday and also had one rushing attempt for 23 yards against the Packers.

Wilks said Kirk should be completely recovered for the 2019 season.
“Very excited about being able to get him back,” Wilks said, according to ESPN.com. “Did some great things. You can see from the game yesterday, really progressing and moving in the right direction. Very disappointed that he’s not going to be out there. The same thing with Mike.”

Kirk finishes the season with 43 catches for a team-leading 590 yards. He had three touchdown receptions, which ranks second on the team to Larry Fitzgerald’s five TD catches.

Wilks said Kirk will be missed.

“Well, number one, just his play-making ability,” Wilks said. “I thought we saw that throughout the year, rather it’s vertical down the field, rather it’s on the perimeter as far as the screen game, reverse and the things you guys don’t see is really just his preparation.

“I said it before, this guy’s a pro’s pro. Being a rookie and the way he prepares, the way he comes in each and every day is very exciting to see. The future is very bright with him.”

Kirk started seven of the 12 games he played in, and had at least one reception in every game.

Kirk, who was a second-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, also led Arizona with 21 punt returns for 164 yards.

He remained in the game for several plays after suffering his injury on Sunday.

“It says a lot about his personality, his character,” Wilks said. “He tried to fight through it. He went out there a couple more plays and tried to endure, but the pain was just too much for him.”

Among the candidates to replace Kirk include J.J. Nelson, rookie Trent Sherfield and Chad Williams, who has missed four games with an ankle injury.

Iupati had started all 10 games in which he played this season, and that includes Sunday’s game against the Packers.

He has started 114 games in his career and has been named to the Pro Bowl four times, from 2012 through 2015.

–Kicker Zane Gonzalez made his debut for the Cardinals on Sunday and he connected on a pair of field goals, including the game-winning 44-yard field goal with 1:45 remaining, in the 20-17 win over the Packers. He had been released by Cleveland after Week 2 following several misses.

–Running back Chase Edmonds had the best game of his young NFL career, carrying the ball five times for 53 yards and a pair of touchdowns on Sunday.

–Quarterback Josh Rosen completed 11 of 26 passes on Sunday. It was the third time this season the rookie has completed less than half his passes, but it was not his lowest completion percentage of the season. Sunday marked the third time in his 10 games that he did not throw an interception.

–Running back David Johnson led the team in rushing Sunday with 69 yards on 20 carries. His longest run was 13 yards. He had only 3 receiving yards, tying his lowest receiving total of the season.

–Linebacker Gerald Hodges had a season-high 13 tackles on Sunday. It was his second straight game with a double-digit tackle totas.