ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- It is some kind of headache-inducing Groundhog Day for the Denver Broncos.

But six games into the season, with a Monday Night Football matchup with the Houston Texans next in line, the Broncos' defense has faced one dynamic, game-changing, SportsCenter-Top-10 waiting-to-happen wide receiver after another.

A Pro Bowler in 2015, DeAndre Hopkins has yet to find a real groove with new Texans quarterback Brock Osweiler this season. Leslie Plaza Johnson/Icon Sportswire

Kelvin Benjamin, T.Y. Hilton, A.J. Green, Mike Evans and Julio Jones have already lined up across from Broncos defenders. Jones leads the league in receiving yards, Green is third, Hilton is sixth and Evans is 12th. And Benjamin is among those with four receiving touchdowns, which is the second-highest total in the league.

“So, yeah, man, every week we get one of those guys," Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib said. “I don’t know if they sat down and said, 'Let’s get them all of those receivers in a row.' But they did and now another one."

Next is the Texans’ DeAndre Hopkins. While Hopkins, whose 31 catches have him among the league's top 15 in that category, has not quite meshed with quarterback Brock Osweiler for the kind of production he had last season with four different Texans quarterback throwing him the ball, the Broncos still see Hopkins as another wideout who at the top of their defensive to-do list.

“He’s tough," Broncos cornerback Chris Harris Jr. said. “He’s quick, knows where to get to, and when the ball is in the air, man, he can get it even if you’re in the right spot. You have to be on your game and you can’t show him the same thing over and over. You have to bring something different."

After six games last season, Hopkins had 52 receptions and four 100-yard receiving games on the way to 111 catches, 1,521 yards and 11 touchdowns. This time around, as Osweiler tries to find a comfort zone in his first season in Houston's offense, Hopkins has 31 catches, one 100-yard game and three touchdowns.

Earlier this season, the Tennessee Titans held Hopkins to one catch in his 61 plays in the game. His 100-yard game was Week 2 against the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Broncos, with plenty of man-to-man coverages mixed into an occasional zone look, have kept the primary receivers they’ve faced in check. Benjamin, in the season opener, is the only one in the high-profile group who freed himself enough for a touchdown.

Benjamin’s 91 yards is also the most receiving yards the Broncos have surrendered to any of those wideouts. The Broncos held Hilton just four catches and Jones to two for 29 yards.

“I think we make it tough," Harris said. “We take pride in it, but we know what those guys can do."

“All those guys can the ball, man," Talib said. “You give them any room at all, they’re going to get their catches."

It has forced opponents to be a little more judicious. Most have simply decided against stubbornness and sent the ball elsewhere rather than continually challenge Denver's cornerbacks -- Harris, Talib and Bradley Roby -- in coverage.

Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston challenged Talib, in particular, and Talib had two of his three interceptions this season in that Week 4 game. Others have sent the ball to their running backs and tight ends -- particularly in the past two weeks, in Broncos losses to the Falcons and Chargers -- or have given their Nos. 2 or 3 receivers the most targets.

For the Texans, wide receiver Will Fuller -- who didn’t play in Week 6 because of a hamstring injury -- is second on the team in targets behind Hopkins and has two 100-yard games this season. And in the Texans’ overtime victory over the Colts on Sunday, tight end C.J. Fiedorowicz had 85 yards receiving and a touchdown.

“But [Hopkins] attracts a lot of attention," Roby said. “He is a great receiver and a great ball-in-the-air threat. He’s one of the top receivers in the league."