TWO REASONS TO CARE
While the Texans stumble toward a season of despair, stars Clowney and Hopkins never ever give up the fight
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Raised hands, a ripped jersey and a name that refuses to be overlooked.
A young man just coming into his own, a motor that never stops and another opponent blown up in the backfield. DeAndre Hopkins. Jadeveon Clowney. The very best of the Texans in 2017.
This season started feeling lost as soon as Deshaun Watson went down. For the second time in five years, the Texans are staring at a losing record and an offseason of significant change. But Hopkins and Clowney? Pro Bowl locks who should end up as All-Pros. Two firstround picks just entering their primes, on the verge of career years and still giving their all as the losses mount.
Will Fuller goes out (again). The 25-year-old Hopkins climbs higher, even though everyone on the opposing side knows No. 10 is getting the ball over and over again.
J.J. Watt and Whitney Mercilus go down; Brian Cushing is suspended. Clowney, 24, builds off the first healthy and strong year of his career by becoming a constant wrecking ball, fiercely attacking runners and quarterbacks, and evolving into the most dangerous weapon on a defensive unit that now follows his lead.
Double dose of greatness
The Texans aren’t worth watching and following anymore in 2017?
You’re closing your eyes and just waiting for Watson to return?
Tell that to Hopkins and Clowney, who are still bringing it week after week and deserve another playoff national spotlight.
“Those two guys are great players,” said Texans coach Bill O’Brien, who proceeded to use 267 words while describing the most-talented names left on a battered 2017 team.
O’Brien on Hopkins: “The ball went to him 10 times (against Baltimore), it probably should have gone to him 20 times. It’s very, very difficult to cover him. I don’t care how you try to cover him. I mean, he’s one of the best guys that I’ve ever coached at that position.”
On Clowney: “He’s one of the best in football. You can line him up anywhere. You can do anything you want with the guy from a football-schematic standpoint, because he understands football. He’s a very, very instinctive player and that’s why he’s having the year that he has. And he plays the game — people get mad at me when I use the word ‘violent’ — but he plays the game in a very explosive, violent way. It’s good for our team.”
Deserving of limelight
The Texans have never been great, but they’ve been good at this: Obscuring elite years from young talent the franchise handpicked and drafted.
Watt won two of his three NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards on 9-7 teams that didn’t record a playoff victory. Andre Johnson spent 12 seasons putting up Hall of Fame-caliber numbers on horrible, bad, average and pretty good teams.
Despite playing with a dizzying collection of different quarterbacks since he was the No. 27 overall pick of the 2013 draft, Hopkins has only improved and is approaching an overall career year. He leads the NFL in targets (127) and receiving touchdowns (nine), ranks fourth in yards (1,004) and is sixth in catches (69).
In his fifth season, Hopkins has begun to fully mirror Johnson’s defining strength. Throw it close and No. 10 will catch it. In traffic and while doubleteamed. Anywhere on the field, even though opposing defenders know exactly where the Texans’ next pass is going.
Big money — Hopkins signed a five-year, $81 million contract extension before the season — hasn’t dimmed his fire. Bouncing between Tom Savage, Watson and Savage again — Hopkins hasn’t had a Week 1-17 starting quarterback since he joined the Texans — has only cemented his standing as one of the best receivers in the league.
Hopkins was targeted 10 times during a 23-16 road loss to Baltimore on “Monday Night Football.” He ended up with game highs in receptions (seven) and receiving yards (125), a ripped jersey, and O’Brien later said the Texans should have doubled his targets.
“We practice with two guys on me sometimes, and it’s just kind of like, ‘All right, we know Hop’s getting the ball right here. He needs to get the ball.’ That’s just my mindset going out there,” said Hopkins, who already has 386 catches for 5,491 yards and 32 touchdowns as a Texan. “I don’t really care what my bank account says or off-thefield issues or what’s going on outside of the field.
“When I’m on the field, I’m going to go to work. That’s my mindset. … I know people are going to target me, teams are going to double-team me, but that’s just more fire to me to go out there and prove I can still get open.”
Piling up the statistics
Clowney spent his first two pro seasons prevented from proving himself. Constant injuries, setbacks and bad luck. Mounting questions about just how bad the No. 1 overall pick of 2014 wanted it, and the feeling entering his third year that he was one letter away from being a bus_.
When Watt first went down in 2016, Clowney became the Texans’ most dangerous defender on the field. He has followed up a Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro campaign with nine sacks, 37 combined tackles, two forced fumbles and three recoveries.
Clowney hasn’t missed a game after starting 14 of 16 last season. In his last 25 contests, he has totaled 15 sacks, while recording at least one QB takedown in five consecutive games.
Hopkins keeps drawing your eyes on offense. Clowney makes them pop on the other side, unleashing video game-like hits that require constant socialmedia playback.
No. 90 has also become a leader while Watt and Mercilus heal, and he has lifted his onfield passion to another level in recent weeks.
“He plays as hard as any player I’ve been around,” O’Brien said. “He practices hard. … He’s healthy, so he’s able to be out there all the time and practice. And practice makes you better and the way he practices makes him better. And then you see what he does on Sundays. He plays very hard on Sundays.”
The Texans will take the field in Week 13 with the playoffs feeling almost out of reach, and their season moving closer and closer toward next year.
Hopkins and Clowney haven’t stopped playing in 2017. They are the best thing about these Texans and two of the NFL’s brightest young stars, waiting for their franchise to join them at the next level.