The league has suspended DeAndre Hopkins six games for violating its policies prohibiting performance-enhancing drugs. He won’t step on the field for a regular-season game until October.

This is a blow to Arizona’s offense. They’re not as good when Hopkins isn’t playing. That was underscored last year, when Hopkins missed eight games.

Particularly with Kyler Murray. Murray went 8-1 in his full games with Hopkins, putting up the best overall quarterbacking numbers in the league – 279 passing yards per week, 27 rushing yards per week and 24 combined touchdowns in those nine games.

Murray without Hopkins, on the other hand, put up below-average numbers – worse than Sam Darnold, Taylor Heinicke and Daniel Jones. He averaged only 236 passing yards in his six games without Hopkins, with 5 TDs and 5 interceptions. (That’s including the playoff loss against the Rams.)

QUARTERBACKS: PER-GAME NUMBERS
PlayerStPassTDPIntRunTDRPts
Murray (w Hopkins)9279.02.11.7827.3.5628.4
Josh Allen, Buff.17259.22.12.8844.9.3528.3
Tom Brady, T.B.17312.72.53.714.8.1226.9
Justin Herbert, LAC17294.92.24.8817.8.1826.6
Patrick Mahomes, K.C.17284.62.18.7622.4.1226.0
• Kyler Murray, Ariz.14270.51.71.7130.2.3625.5
Lamar Jackson, Balt.12240.21.331.0863.9.1724.7
Dak Prescott, Dall.16278.12.31.639.1.0624.6
Joe Burrow, Cin.16288.22.13.887.4.1324.4
Matthew Stafford, LAR17287.42.411.002.5.0024.3
Jalen Hurts, Phil.15209.61.07.6052.3.6724.0
Aaron Rodgers, G.B.16257.22.31.256.3.1923.9
Kirk Cousins, Min.16263.82.06.447.2.0622.5
Russell Wilson, Sea.14222.41.79.4313.1.1420.4
Derek Carr, L.V.17282.61.35.826.4.0020.2
Ryan Tannehill, Ten.17219.61.24.8215.9.4120.0
Jimmy Garoppolo, S.F.15254.01.33.803.4.2019.6
Daniel Jones, NYG11220.7.91.6427.1.1818.8
Sam Darnold, Car.11212.5.821.1819.2.4518.5
Carson Wentz, Ind.17209.61.59.4112.6.0618.5
Taylor Heinicke, Was.15219.81.271.0019.7.0718.4
Murray (no Hopkins)6236.0.83.8330.5.0018.2
Tua Tagovailoa, Mia.12207.91.33.8310.7.1717.8
Teddy Bridgewater, Den.14218.01.29.507.6.1417.7
Jared Goff, Det.14231.81.36.576.2.0017.6
Ben Roethlisberger, Pitt.16233.81.38.63.3.0617.6
Davis Mills, Hou.11228.51.36.823.1.0017.4
Matt Ryan, Atl.17233.41.18.714.8.0617.3
Mac Jones, N.E.17223.61.29.767.6.0017.1
Baker Mayfield, Cle.14215.01.21.939.6.0717.0
Justin Fields, Chi.10180.0.70.9038.6.1016.3
Trevor Lawrence, Jac.17214.2.711.0019.6.1216.2
Zach Wilson, NYJ13179.5.69.8514.2.3115.2

We can conservatively say, therefore, that Murray almost certainly will start off the season more slowly this season. But Arizona does have some other pass-catching options. They’ve got a couple of veterans from other teams (Zach Ertz, A.J. Green). They traded for Hollywood Brown, who played with Murray at Oklahoma. And maybe they get more out of Rondale Moore in his second year. But they are not as good without No. 10.

A cynic might say that the winner in this whole thing will be Kliff Kingsbury. He’s taken considerable heat for the tendency of his teams to fall apart late in the season. I think we’re up to eight straight years going back to his days at Texas Tech. It reflects poorly on the coaching staff – seemingly unable to make adjustments and improvements as effectively as other teams. But with Hopkins missing those first six games, it improves the chances that Arizona’s offense this season will be more productive in the second half of the season.

—Ian Allan