Houston Texans: 3 Bold Predictions vs. Carolina Panthers
2. DeAndre Hopkins will win the battle vs. James Bradberry
The wide receiver vs. cornerback battle that will stand out the most on Sunday is James Bradberry of the Carolina Panthers vs. DeAndre Hopkins of the Houston Texans in what is the equivalent of a championship match when it comes to these types of matchups.
One Texans beat writer, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, wrote the following on the pending matchup for this Sunday on his Twitter account:
Looking forward to watching matchup between Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins and Panthers corner James Bradberry on Sunday. Both are extremely physical players, should be an excellent matchup. Bradberry is expected to follow Hopkins wherever he goes.
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) September 28, 2019
Both players have a tough matchup ahead of them, and since Week 1 Hopkins hasn’t been able to get near a 100 yards receiving in a game. In Week 1 vs. the New Orleans Saints, Hopkins totaled eight receptions or 111 yards and two touchdowns.
In Week 2, while being defended by Jalen Ramsey of the Jacksonville Jaguars for the game, Hopkins had five receptions for 40 yards. Last weekend with the Los Angeles Chargers secondary focusing on Hopkins, he totaled six receptions for 67 yards.
It won’t be any easier for Hopkins as he is a focal point of any defense he faces. With a physical player like Bradberry, who has one sack, three passes defensed and even an interception this season, it is no doubt he’ll challenge and make Hopkins play at a high level, which is a good thing for the Texans wide receiver.
According to Playerprofiler.com, Bradberry has allowed just 17 receptions this season through the first three games on 28 targets, with no touchdowns allowed either.
Many believe that Hopkins is the very best wide receiver in the entire league, and if quarterback Deshaun Watson is given enough time for Hopkins to perfect his routes against Bradberry, Hopkins will be the star of this game vs. the Panthers.