DeAndre Hopkins, playing against his former team, caught a touchdown pass as Arizona Cardinals humbled the Houston Texans 31-5 on Sunday. With the victory, the Cardinals have extended their undefeated streak to 7-0 for the first time since 1974. The Texans (1-6) — who looked totally overmatched for three quarters — have lost six straight games.

Meanwhile, it was the first time Hopkins and J.J. Watt had played against Houston, which is where both grew into stars before coming to the Cardinals. Watt signed with Arizona during the past offseason while Hopkins was acquired by the Cardinals in a trade in 2020. 

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After a poor offensive start, Arizona went behind 5-0 but returned to win comfortably. According to FanDuel, the Cardinals were a 20.5-point favourite, which is a huge spread for an NFL game.

Kyler Murray threw for 261 yards on 20 of 28 passing with three touchdowns and one interception. His first interception since Week 3, but it was one of the few blemishes on an otherwise excellent day. James Conner scored an 18-yard touchdown run, and Zach Ertz had the biggest touchdown reception of his career, a 47-yarder.

On Sunday, both had strong performances. In the second quarter, Hopkins grabbed a 1-yard touchdown pass, while Watt added a tackle for loss.

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After a poor offensive start by the Cardinals, the Texans surged out to a 5-0 lead.

Murray tried to scramble out of the end zone late in the first quarter and was sacked by Jacob Martin, giving Houston a 2-0 lead. Murray was rattled up by the incident and walked to the sideline medical tent for a brief examination before returning to the field for the following drive.

The Cardinals quickly regained control, scoring two touchdowns and kicking a field goal before halftime to take a 17-5 lead. On third-and-24, Murray threw a magnificent 41-yard touchdown pass to A.J. Green down the sideline, setting up the second score. Two plays later, Murray connected with Christian Kirk for a 5-yard touchdown.

With inputs from the Associated Press