Wide receivers
Stephon Gilmore, Jonathan Jones, Devin McCourty, Patrick Chung, the Patriots’ spooky secondary has locked down opposing receivers all-season long. Though the Texans didn’t boast any “have a day” stats from their receiving corps on Sunday, they certainly weren’t shut-down.
DeAndre Hopkins led the pack, hauling in five receptions for 64 yards. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, he averaged 3.65 yards of separation on Sunday against the Gilmore-led Patriots secondary. For reference, Dallas Cowboys superstar wide-out Amari Cooper had 1.44 in Week 12.
2019 average yards of separation vs. Patriots, via @NextGenStats:
DeAndre Hopkins: 3.65
Amari Cooper: 1.44
Odell Beckham: 2.75
JuJu Smith-Schuster: 2.17
— Avery Duncan (@averydduncan) December 2, 2019
Hopkins pulled in double coverage for other receivers. Kenny Stills brought in three receptions for 61 yards and a touchdown (35 yards) while Will Fuller had one for eight yards.
The receivers weren’t a focal point for the Texans offense in Week 13. Instead, it seemed as if Bill O’Brien and Co. schemed their playbook for tight ends, running backs and non-Hopkins plays to get touches while the New England defense focused on Nuk.
It worked. The receivers did their jobs, didn’t have costly drops (an excellent play by Jones in a non-Fuller touchdown wasn’t a drop) and scored when asked upon. Big-time stats don’t hamper a good grade.