WHAT THEY'RE SAYING

Notes, Quotes

The Sports Xchange

December 07, 2018 at 6:34 pm.

–The Cardinals lost their leader in receiving yards on Sunday when rookie wide receiver Christian Kirk suffered a broken foot and was placed on injured reserve on Monday.

Kirk made two huge back-to-back plays that helped the Cardinals to a 20-17 victory over the Packers, first by taking a jet sweep for 23 yards and then by catching a go route from Josh Rosen that went for 37 yards.

“His playmaking ability, I thought we saw that throughout the year,” head coach Steve Wilks said, “whether it was vertical down the field, on the perimeter, the screen game, the reverse. And the things you don’t see, like his preparation. The guy is a pro’s pro.

“The future is very bright with him.”

Kirk finished his season with 43 catches, second on the team to Larry Fitzgerald (47), and 590 yards.

Rosen said, “It’s a big bummer. I was hanging out with him last night. It’s a bummer for the Cardinals and everything, but for him as well because he was starting to hit his stride. He was starting to really feel comfortable out there, and we were getting that connection. Sometimes a play here or there, regardless of coverage, this is my guy on this particular situation. It’s just like Larry (Fitzgerald) at the end of the game. You have guys for certain situations, and I was starting to find that with Christian, where in a given circumstance, you’re like, ‘Alright, where is 13?’ It was a bummer, but we’ll keep pushing forward, and I’m very confident he’ll come back stronger than ever.”

–With left tackle D.J. Humphries (knee) and left guard Mike Iupati (knee) each landing on injured reserve this week, the team signed tackle Joe Barksdale, who was released by the Chargers, and Rees Odhiambo, who was on the Colts’ practice squad.

“We can’t worry about what we don’t have,” head coach Steve Wilks said. “We’ve got to go play a football game.”

–Wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald is tied with Hall of Famer Jerry Rice for the most receptions in NFL history (1,281) with a single team. When he tied Rice for that distinction on Sunday against the Packers, it was the last thing on his mind.

“I’m not big on records,” Fitzgerald said. “It’s just great to be able to come here and get a win. This is a difficult place to get a win and we needed it badly. It’s been a rough year.”

BY THE NUMBERS: 10 – Number of rookies that played for the Cardinals during their 20-17 victory over the Packers at Lambeau Field. Four of them started on offense. “We were joking around in the quarterback room the other day because at one point in practice, we had like eight or nine rookies in the huddle,” rookie quarterback Josh Rosen said, laughing. “I think we’re starting five or six, playing seven or eight, so I mean, it’s a good thing for the future.”