When DeAndre Hopkins brought up the interception Kyler Murray threw against Washington Sunday, he hadn't even been asked about it specifically. The wide receiver was just asked about what he needed to get better at, and clearly, the pick was on his mind.
"I think the interception that he threw was definitely my fault," Hopkins said. "I ran the wrong route, so the safety wouldn't have been there if it wasn't for me running the wrong route. I definitely hurt my team in that aspect. I definitely have to get better and play better."
This is about an interception, sure. On the play, Hopkins is running inside with Andy Isabella just beyond him, and Washington safety Landon Collins just waited back before jumping up to grab it. Murray clearly thought someone would be there from his own team (and it did look like Murray was very aware of the incoming pass rush).
But this is also about a vet stepping up and taking blame when he didn't need to. Because of the result of the game and the fact the Cards' defense got its own turnover soon after making Murray's pick moot, I'm not sure anyone was even going to bring it up as a question.
Yet Hopkins got specific and accountable.
"As a quarterback -- or a former quarterback -- you definitely appreciate owning that," coach Kliff Kingsbury said. "It shows (DeAndre's) security as a player and what he's accomplished.
"Honestly, it was more a miscommunication rather than a wrong route. It's going to happen as we build that bond with him and work through our signals. I appreciate that, and I know our quarterback does as well. It's just going to get better and better with (Hopkins). He's a guy who is open to learning, who is open to coaching, and he wants to be the best more than anything."
Murray, the last to weigh in on the subject, broke into a big smile when Hopkins' confession was brought up.
"I told him to say that, because he did run the wrong route, but nah, it's all good," Murray said. "That's something we both have to get on the same page about. It was frustrating at the time, but looking back on it, this is Week Two, we haven't had a lot of time together. We just have to be better and we will be better."
