DeAndre Hopkins was furious about Isaiah Simmons being flagged for hitting Patriots QB Cam Newton in the head. OK, bud.
The New England Patriots will remain in the playoff race by the skin of their defense’s teeth, ekeing out a 20-17 comeback victory over the stalled Arizona Cardinals on Sunday afternoon.
It took a little bit of dynasty era luck and a few bounces, but after a 45-yard miss by Cardinals kicker Zane Gonzalez, the Pats somehow had a chance to pull victory from the jaws of defeat with one final drive, when it had seemed seconds earlier that Kyler Murray would be able to salt away the clock.
That drive was aided, in large part, by Cards rookie Isaiah Simmons drilling Cam Newton with the crown of his helmet on Newton’s way out of bounds following a 14-yard pickup on 3rd & 13. Was Newton still on the grass when he was struck by the defender? Sure. But was the hit far too high to be ignored? Obviously!
None of those facts stopped Cardinals WR DeAndre Hopkins from complaining on Twitter in the postgame, though, before deleting his whiny tweet.
DeAndre Hopkins had thoughts on this play... he deleted the tweet though. pic.twitter.com/UwIRtmj0eC
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) November 29, 2020
Oh, boo hoo.
First of all, we’re not sure if this is Hopkins’ first day in the modern NFL, but if you lower your head and hit a quarterback high, you’re going to be hit with some yellow laundry. That’s just how it goes.
And second, maybe don’t let Newton scamper for 14 yards on a 13-yard third down?
There are two kinds of teammates when a late hit gets flagged — the side that complains and downplays, and the side that fights for the player’s well-being, like fiery Patriots center David Andrews.
David Andrews had to be held back by Patriots players and coaches after that hit. Did not appreciate his quarterback taking a late shot.
— Alex Barth (@RealAlexBarth) November 29, 2020
In the wake of something like this, we’d much rather be Andrews, and not just because he came away with the victory.
It seems to us that the team with the best young QB in the NFL and an elite wide receiver should’ve figured out a way to hold an early 10-0 lead. Much like Isaiah Simmons in the launch position, things fell apart late, though. Shame.
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