Wide Receivers Showcase
Giants’ Beckham, Texans’ Hopkins Mutual Admirers
HOUSTON — It will be a showcase of two of the NFL’s best receivers in DeAndre Hopkins and Odell Beckham Jr. when the Houston Texans and New York Giants meet on Sunday with both teams looking for their first win.
Hopkins likes Beckham’s determination and grit, and sees similarities between himself and the New York star.
“Of course. He makes plays no matter where the ball is,” Hopkins said. “He’s not the tallest, I’m not the tallest, but he [goes] up and gets it. He just makes plays.”
Beckham is a fan of Hopkins and said he has been admiring him since he was in college.
“I love his game,” Beckham said. “I remember when we were playing them here and he had that catch against Prince [Amukamara] down the field and they called it back. Trust me, I have been watching him, watching him a long time.”
Houston defensive end J.J. Watt raved about the knack both players have for making difficult catches look easy.
“I know they both can catch anything you throw their way,” he said. “I know they both find a way to get open and find a way to make catches that 99 percent of people wouldn’t be able to make, so they’re obviously special playmakers, both of them.”
Hopkins has 188 yards receiving with a touchdown this season, and Beckham has 162 yards receiving. Giants coach Pat Shurmur noted that the 6-foot-1 Hopkins is a bit bigger than the 5-11 Beckham, but also sees many of the same qualities in the two receivers.
“Their production can be similar in a lot of ways. I think they’ve got a lot of similar traits in terms of their competitive nature, their spirit, their ability to win their one-onone matchups. There’s really a lot of similarities. I think Hopkins is a little bit bigger, if I’m not mistaken, but for the most part, they’re very similar guys.”
Some things to know about Sunday’s game:
Barkley’s receiving: Running back Saquon Barkley set a Giants record with 14 receptions last week against the Cowboys and tied the NFL mark for most catches by a rookie. The second overall pick in the draft was asked if getting that many catches was a surprise.
“If any running back told you that he expected to have 14 catches in a game, he’ll be lying to you,” he said. “So, obviously, I did not expect that, but [the] Dallas Cowboys did a great job defensively taking away the deep threats, and as a quarterback you got to go through your progressions and sometimes you go through your progressions and there’s a check down to your running back. It just happened to be more times this game.”
Houston defensive end Jadeveon Clowney raved about the young running back. “He catches all the balls for them,” he said. “He does everything for them. He’s a very versatile back.”
Injury watch: There are definite areas of concern for the Giants. Veteran John Greco is now the starting center. He replaces Jon Halapio, who broke his lower right leg and ankle last week. LB Olivier Vernon (ankle) has not played this season and is not full speed. Without their best pass rusher, New York has one sack this season. The biggest weakness might be at cornerback with starter Eli Apple nursing a sore hamstring. B.W. Webb replaced him in the third quarter, and Dallas went after him. Expect the Texans to do the same with Will Fuller and Hopkins.