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.
“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 per cent of people wouldn’t be able to make, so they’re obviously special play makers, 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 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 [and] I think they’ve got a lot of similar traits in terms of their competitive nature, their spirit, their ability to win their one-on-one 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.”
Both teams will be looking for a big game from their star receivers to avoid falling into an 0-3 hole. The Texans lost to Tennessee 20-17 last week and the Giants fell to the Cowboys 20-13.