CREECH: PAINFUL DAY FOR HOPKINS.
A shoulder sprain and tight coverage leave DeAndre Hopkins feeling down and out
DeAndre Hopkins sulked at his locker Saturday night.
The vibrant and exciting receiver wasn’t dressed to the nines like usual. Instead, he wore a light gray Texans jacket, fresh off of meeting with medical staff.
“A Grade 3 AC sprain,” he said before anyone asked about the injury that briefly sidelined him and definitely impacted his play against the Colts earlier in the day.
What a difference a week makes.
Last Sunday, an exuberant Hopkins grinned widely with an AFC South champions hat atop his head.
He chatted with former Texans receiver Andre Johnson and then joked with the media about his game-day outfit.
He’d just had another stellar performance in a Texans victory.
After Saturday’s game, Hopkins’ spirits were at rock bottom.
He and the Texans had just lost 21-7 to the Indianapolis Colts at NRG Stadium. Hopkins stood at his locker and wasn’t moving around much. He’d just been diagnosed with the sprain in the acromioclavicular joint in his shoulder and was in a great deal of pain.
Playing despite the injury, Hopkins had one of his worst performances of the season. He finished with five catches for 37 yards — a stat line that left a lot to be desired for the All-Pro receiver who has become one of, if not the best receiver in the NFL.
“This is painful,” Hopkins said referring to his injury and to the loss that ended the season for the Texans. “We wanted more.”
Largely because of Hopkins, the Texans expected more.
He’s the type of weapon on offense who can propel a team to the next level. And he did that time and time again this season.
He finished the season with 120 catches for 1,609 yards and 11 touchdowns.
He and Deshaun Watson connected early and often. In just about every game this season, Hopkins was a sure thing.
When the Texans needed someone to step up and make a big play, they could turn to him.
His ability to catch just about anything made the Texans’ offense a threat in every game this season.
When Hopkins felt the pain in his shoulder in the first half on Saturday, he didn’t think twice about continuing to play on.
“I would have had to have a broken leg or something,” he said. “I had to play. I had to try to help my team.”
Between his injury and the pressure the Colts’ defense put on him, Hopkins just couldn’t get much going.
“It’s football,” he said. “They beat us fair and square.”
The loss comes at the end of an emotional week for Hopkins.
He, like so many others in the Houston community, was shocked and saddened by the shooting of 7-year old Jazmine Barnes last week.
On Wednesday, he posted a photo of the girl and wrote: “When I see Jazmine Barnes’ face, I see my own daughter …” He then pledged his playoff check to her family to help with funeral costs and and to support efforts to bring her killer to justice.
“On Saturday, I will be playing in your honor Jazmine.”
Hopkins’ gesture to support Barnes’ family is much bigger than football. Neither his injury nor the Texans’ loss takes away from that.
Hopkins would have liked to see things end differently. But without him at his best, the offense sputtered.
As good as Watson is, it was clear on Saturday that he needs his top target for the Texans to succeed.
That’s an issue the Texans’ coaching staff will have to address.
They faced losses at receiver this season. Will Fuller suffered a season-ending ACL tear in October. Demaryius Thomas ruptured his Achilles a few weeks ago.
On Saturday, rookie Keke Coutee stepped up and filled some of the void, but it wasn’t enough.
When the Texans address their needs this offseason, they must come up with some offensive depth.
Hopkins proved to be phenomenal this season, but the Texans can’t bank on him always being available. The possibility of injury is ever present in football. And opposing teams are going to consistently double-team him.
The Texans have to be able to win with or without Hopkins.
The season is over and Hopkins has a lot to be proud of. He led all NFL offensive players with 46 votes for the Associated Press All-Pro team. This was a banner season for him thanks to highlight-worthy performances every week.
He helped Watson grow into a top-tier NFL quarterback.
But he and the Texans also lost in the first round of the playoffs.
“We will go back to the drawing board and get ready for next year,” a subdued Hopkins said.
He wasn’t ready for the season to end.
And Saturday night didn’t represent what Hopkins did all season.
“We have to be better,” he said. “We’ll be back.”