Texans WR DeAndre Hopkins on pace for nearly 2,000 yards

Houston Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins (10) makes a long reception to put the Texans in field goal range during overtime of an NFL football game at NRG Stadium on Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018, in Houston. Houston Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins (10) makes a long reception to put the Texans in field goal range during overtime of an NFL football game at NRG Stadium on Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018, in Houston. Photo: Elizabeth Conley/Staff Photographer Photo: Elizabeth Conley/Staff Photographer Image 1 of / 254 Caption Close Texans WR DeAndre Hopkins on pace for nearly 2,000 yards 1 / 254 Back to Gallery

Texans All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins delivered one of his top performances Sunday night and is setting a torrid pace as the featured target in a pass-first offense.

Hopkins already has 39 receptions for 594 yards and two touchdowns through five games. He's on pace to finish the season with 125 receptions for 1,900 yards.

Hopkins' dramatic, spinning 49-yard catch-and-run in an overtime victory over the Dallas Cowboys set the stage for the game-winning field goal, making up for a rare fumble. Signed to a five-year, $81 million contract last year, Hopkins finished the game with nine receptions for 151 yards on 13 targets.

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“He’s our No. 1 guy," Texans coach Bill O'Brien said. "I think everybody in the league knows that. We try to target him 20 to 25 times a game. I think in certain areas of the field, we have to do a better job with targeting him, but that’s why he makes the big bucks.

"He goes out there and he play. He plays hard. He’s a playmaker. He wants the ball on every snap and that’s what makes him who he is.”

Hopkins has 320 receiving yards over the past two games, the second-most in a two-game span of his NFL career. His consecutive games with 150 or more yards more than once ties him with Andre Johnson, Brandon Marshall, Steve Smith, James Lofton and Lance Alworth in NFL history.

Hopkins also knocked down the first pass of his NFL career, batting away a Hail Mary pass as time expired in regulation to preserve the Texans' second consecutive win.

"It feels great to get two wins back-to-back against two good teams like that," Hopkins said. "Only thing we can do is improve off of our mistakes to where we don’t go into overtime and finishing early.

"I had a fumble out there, so I feel part of the game being close is on me. So, I need to go back and look and see what I can do better myself.”

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The Texans are thrilled with Hopkins' contributions. Especially quarterback Deshaun Watson.

"He’s one of the best – if not the best – receivers in the NFL, so we rely on him," Watson said. "In those situations, he came up big, and playmakers make plays whenever we need them."