The Houston Texans are on pace to have two 1,000-yard receivers by the end of the season, a feat that has never happened in franchise history.
Receiver Brandin Cooks has 719 receiving yards while Will Fuller has 879 yards. With five games to go, Cooks needs to average 56.2 yards and Fuller 24.2. However, in the case of Fuller, if he has his sixth 100-yard game of the season and a so-so performance elsewhere, he will easily crest 1,000 yards.
The closest the Texans have come to having a pair of 1,000-yard wideouts was in 2014, coach Bill O’Brien’s first year in Houston. Second-year receiver DeAndre Hopkins recorded 1,210 yards while future Ring of Honor member Andre Johnson collected 936.
For quarterback Deshaun Watson, his strategy is simple when targeting Cooks and Fuller: give them an opportunity.
“Just give them a chance,” Watson told reporters after the 41-25 win over the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving. “Throw it out there. And those two guys, they are more of a let them go run and get it.”
Fuller finished with six catches for 171 yards and two touchdowns, and Cooks added five catches for 85 yards.
“Both of those guys are special and I love playing with both of those guys,” Watson said.
The passing game has been the one consistent element of the team that gives Texans fans hope for the future.
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