As it turns out, reports of WR DeAndre Hopkins’ demise have been greatly exaggerated. All he needed was a change of quarterback—perhaps. The 11th-year veteran went off on Sunday in his first action with rookie QB Will Levis under center for the Tennessee Titans. The two connected for 128 yards and three touchdowns.
And the duo is about to face a defense that gives up those sorts of numbers to an opposing wide receiver routinely. Here’s a fun fact: of the 10 instances in which a player caught two-plus touchdowns for 125-plus yards this season, Pittsburgh was the team on defense three times. Only the Washington Commanders have allowed more than one such game. And defensive coordinator Teryl Austin is on high alert.
“Did you watch the game last week? Are you answering your own question right there?”, he asked rhetorically yesterday when a reporter asked him if DeAndre Hopkins was still DeAndre Hopkins, via transcript provided by the team’s media department. “Yeah, you watch him, he’s got unbelievable catch radius. He knows how to sell routes. He’s just really good. You don’t see anything less from him. I know this: he’ll get all of our attention the best we can”.
A first-round pick in 2013, Hopkins is a five-time All-Pro and has finished in the top five for the Offensive Player of the Year Award multiple times. He has 884 career receptions for 11,802 yards and 74 touchdowns. Injuries in the past two seasons, however, have kept his numbers down.
His last standout season came in 2020, when he caught 115 passes for 1,407 yards and six touchdowns. He had a fantastic four-year run earlier in his career, during which he caught 400 passes for 5,425 yards and 39 touchdowns.
Hopkins is in his first season with the Titans. So far this season, he has 31 receptions for 504 yards and three touchdowns, all of which came in the last outing. He is on pace to have his best season in years, and the Steelers probably look like a favorable opponent.
Especially with All-Pro S Minkah Fitzpatrick already ruled out, and a rookie in Joey Porter Jr. starting at cornerback. Not that Patrick Peterson at this point in his career is any less tempting, I would imagine, to a potential future Hall of Famer like Hopkins.
While he may no longer be in his prime at 31 years old, he still has size, strength, and enough speed to get the job done. One of the era’s great combat catchers, he has made it a career of making defensive backs look back at the catch point with the ball in the air.
Sunday was a reminder that, at least at the right moment, at the right day, Hopkins was still Hopkins, and the Steelers have to do everything they can to make sure Thursday is not one of those days. And they must do so while keeping star RB Derrick Henry in check. That should be fun.
