Speedy connection
Watson to Hopkins quickly joins list of NFL’s best combinations
DeAndre Hopkins knows that the football is on the exact path he wants it to travel.
It's headed directly to his outstretched fingertips, the intended destination. Regardless of what extreme angle Hopkins has contorted his body into with cornerbacks draped all over him, he doesn't have to worry about an errant pass.
And Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson delivers spirals to Hopkins with a bold confidence, with the knowledge and belief that the ball is in safe hands.
In a short amount of time, the timing and chemistry between Watson and Hopkins has become impeccable.
Their communication is on point. Their body language allows them to communicate without exchanging words on the field.
And Watson and Hopkins have devoted a considerable amount of time building a bond of football and brotherhood on and off the field as the Texans prepare for an AFC wild-card playoff game against the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday at NRG Stadium.
“It’s just the friendship, the chemistry,” Watson said. “Just us being on the same page watching film. A lot of it is just real instincts, kind of showing him what I see from watching film throughout the week, and then what he’s seeing and put two and two together. Then, telling him, ‘Hey, this is how I want it,’ and then kind of just feeling it out as the game goes.
“I just have to kind of feel it out and trust my instincts and trust what he’s doing. I have a lot of trust in Hop. The stats speak for themselves. He’s kind of one of those guys that we’re just locked in on the same page regardless of how
much practice time and reps we get throughout the week.”
Watson knows his first and best throwing option is typically looking in Hopkins’ direction.
They’ve only played 23 games together, but have formed arguably one of the most dangerous passing tandems in the NFL. Over the past two seasons, including an injury-abbreviated rookie year for Watson last year due to a knee injury, they’ve connected for 18 touchdowns among Hopkins’ 160 catches for 2,178 yards.
“Two big-time playmakers that have consistently done it all year and are one of the more lethal connections in the NFL” Colts coach Frank Reich said. “That’s why they’re at the top of the list when you’re talking about quarterback-receiver combinations that are a threat. We just have a lot of respect for those two guys."
A matter of trust
As much as it comes back to skill with Watson, a Pro Bowl alternate, and Hopkins, a threetime Pro Bowl selection and a first-team All-Pro choice last year, the connection also leans heavily on their shared belief that each will provide precisely what the other needs from him.
“Just trusting each other,” Hopkins said. “Him trusting me to go out there and make the right read and me trusting him to give me the ball. We just depend on each other to make this team better, honestly.”
Watson and Hopkins have managed to combine for 115 completions for 1,572 yards and 11 touchdowns this season despite not having as much practice time as they would prefer.
Hopkins has been dealing with foot and ankle injuries throughout the season, so his participation in practice has largely been reduced to watching to preserve his body for games.
“It’s been an interesting year,” Texans coach Bill O’Brien said. “Hop has dealt with a lot of injuries. They’ve had to do a lot of work in the film room. You’ll see them in the hallway or in the weight room kind of talking about how this route’s going to be run.
“We still practice very hard, but Hop hasn’t always been able to be out there. I think that’s a testament to those two guys, the work that they’ve put in behind the scenes. Both guys love gameday. They have a certain chemistry on gameday. They’ve talked it out throughout the week, and they know how they want to execute it on the field.”
Watson has targeted Hopkins 163 times this season. The next most targeted player on the Texans’ roster is wide receiver Will Fuller with 45 targets for 32 receptions, 503 yards and four touchdowns, and Fuller is out for the season with a torn ACL.
Does Watson ever think about just throwing to Hopkins every play no matter what?
“For sure,” Watson said. “I mean, usually he’s going to make a play happen regardless if you think he’s open. If he’s not open, he’s open.
“At the end of the day, kind of Hop understands, too. He’s never like, ‘Never throw it to me,’ but if he knows that he’s doubled he’ll be like, ‘Look for someone else.' Yeah, it’s very tempting.”
During the stretch run, Watson has relied even more on Hopkins to carry the passing game.
With wide receiver Demaryius Thomas out for the year with a ruptured Achilles tendon, the Texans lack an experienced second option opposite Hopkins.
Hopkins caught 10 passes for 170 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winner, against the New York Jets in Week 15. He caught nine passes for 104 yards in a last-minute loss to the Philadelphia Eagles the next week.
And Hopkins caught 12 passes for 147 yards Sunday in a regularseason finale win over the Jacksonville Jaguars to clinch the AFC South Division title.
‘Instinctive ability’
Despite not being 100 percent healthy, Hopkins has left opponents marveling at his handiwork.
“I just think he plays long and fast and he has this instinctive ability to play the ball,” Reich said. "He has this instinctive sense of leverage and space, where the opponent is, where the defender is, where the space is, where’s the optimum space.’
It wasn’t long before Watson and Hopkins began to click. In Watson’s first NFL start, he was a bit nervous and erratic during a win over the Cincinnati Bengals. Throwing to Hopkins and having him in the huddle was a calming influence on Watson.
“I found that out quick,” Watson said. “It’s ridiculous. Really my first start in Cincinnati last year, some balls there I kind of threw high. Some stop routes.
“I’d come over and be like, ‘Hey, it’s my bad, I’m going to get it down,’ and he was just like, ‘No, I want it just like that. I want it high. I want it outside. I want it low,’ and he just found a way to get it.”