A groin injury that kept him out of a Week 3 game was improving and the Arizona Cardinals wide receiver had caught five passes for 78 yards in a win of the week 5 vs. New York Jets
Next, Kirk took the field Monday against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium, a venue he had dominated as a college receiver at Texas A&M with over 300 receiving yards and six total TDs in three games. v University of Arkansas
And in his Monday night football debut, Kirk led the Cardinals with 86 yards on two catches – one for 6 yards and one for 80 – both of which won touchdowns
Kirk’s first score was a flip from quarterback Kyler Murray who flew 156 yards through the air, according to NFL Next Generation stats, and Kirk used his speed to run wide before breaking for the zone. goals
His second score was a deep shot that traveled 4,844 yards through the air Murray threw him at a Kirk in sequence on a deep post It’s a piece the Cardinals installed this week knowing they would have a chance to have a deep touch because of something they saw on the Cowboys movie Kirk caught him with his fingertips in stride, not even slowing down, before scoring
Kirk had worked the entire offseason on this type of course alongside fellow receiver Trent Sherfield and running back Chase Edmonds They ended each practice with deep messages from quarterback Chris Streveler If they let go of the pass or it got knocked down they had to start over Kirk felt that out of the 100 routes they took they had to rebroadcast about 70
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The game showed the blazing speed that made Kirk a dynamic weapon in the attack on Coach Kliff Kingsbury But deep in Kirk’s mind, even as he started to pick up speed on the road, there was the only thing that could make you lose that speed
« I was a little worried about my hamstrings at first because when you run so fast you stretch a bit like that, it can get a little scary, » Kirk said
Kirk has missed games with injuries in each of his first three seasons in the NFL As a rookie it was four Last season was three As this season dawned his goal was to play in all 16 games, which he said would keep him from getting one of football’s most damning labels: Injury-prone
For Kirk, his injuries – a broken foot in late 2018 and an ankle injury in September 2019 – were « bizarre » incidents that could and could have happened to anyone in the same situation
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Then he suffered a groin injury in the second week of this season and tried to play He finally left the game and missed the following week
Kirk had spent this offseason rehabilitating his ankle, which had never been healthy last season, he said He suffered an injury in Week 4 and missed the next three games Kirk said the rest of the season was not easy, from cup practices to contact to having the hurt constantly in his mind It didn’t help that in the last month of the season his ankle continued to twist
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« He’s one of the toughest guys in the world, » Kingsbury said « I mean he practices everyday He pushes things everyday I mean he’ll run road after road after road , trying to improve «
Ahead of this season, Kingsbury said Kirk’s « full potential » would prove if he could stay healthy Kirk has averaged 82 yards per game over the past two weeks and appears to be on the right track
It’s just a matter of Kirk’s staying healthy the rest of the season, and he’s more motivated than ever He noticed Monday night that the Cowboys were rolling safeties towards NFL main receiver DeAndre Hopkins , leaving him head-to-head – which was the case on his 80-yard touchdown The more the teams do this, the more Kirk can punish them
Now that he’s got over the « little speed bump » that was his groin injury, Kirk feels like he’s on his way Monday has proven that
« I’m happy with my situation and my progress right now, » said Kirk « I’m just patient and just trying to take whatever opportunities come my way »
Cardinals
World News – United States – Healthy Christian Kirk frees himself with his feet and fingers
