HOUSTON – The Houston Texans are one win from clinching their fifth division title in team history. One of the biggest reasons they are in this position is the handiwork of wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins.
Hopkins was named to his third Pro Bowl earlier this week and is coming off his most productive game of the season.
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He totaled 170 yards on 10 catches, two of which went for touchdowns. The second TD proved to be the game winner.
For the season, Hopkins has 94 receptions, 1,321 yards and 11 touchdowns. His yardage total tops the AFC, while he’s second in receptions and third in touchdowns.
Hopkins has been making highlight reel catches all season and throughout his entire career, and on Thursday, he was asked if he goes back and watches them himself.
“I watch Megatron’s (Calvin Johnson's) highlights probably more or close to more than mine,” Hopkins said. “I watch my highlights a lot, but I watch Megatron’s highlights, too, just because he made great catches like that. It motivates me before the games, just seeing a great go out there and do it effortlessly, but yeah, I watch my highlights. I kind of work on my game as well, seeing what I can do to do better. I don’t watch all the great catches all the time.”
What he also does is bring an attitude that if the ball is the air and anywhere close to him, he feels like he has to catch it.
“That’s been my mindset since I’ve been playing football – defense, offense – basketball as well. If the ball’s in the air, it’s mine,” Hopkins said.
Defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel was asked about his defensive perspective regarding the attitude that Hopkins brings to the position.
“The only guy that has the kind of attitude that DeAndre has that I’ve been associated with is a tight end, Ben Coates, we had at New England in the red zone,” Crennel said. “When he got to the red zone, the ball was his. If it came close to him, he was coming up with it. That’s the way DeAndre is. The ball is his. If it comes close to him, he makes the catch. That attitude reminds me of what DeAndre is about.”