Inside Slant

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November 01, 2018 at 1:38 am.

WR Thomas arrives, and Hopkins is happy

Even with the recent loss of wide receiver Will Fuller V, the Houston Texans are still plugging away with their sights set on winning six in a row. The addition of Demaryius Thomas is stealing the headlines for the Texans, but the reality is the team still has their best offensive players on the field in quarterback Deshaun Watson and receiver DeAndre Hopkins.

Head coach Bill O’Brien made it clear that Hopkins is still on the team and nothing has changed regarding the offense’s top target is in the passing game.

“I don’t think it’s any secret,” O’Brien said of Hopkins’ impact on the offense. “He’s the leading target on third down. He’s got a bunch of yards. He’s our No. 1 receiver. We’re not trying to hide him. Hop knows that. That’s why he is who he is.”

Hopkins continues to be Watson’s top option in the passing game and the two are putting up impressive numbers together. Even without the presence of Fuller, Watson is going to continue what he does on the field: make plays.

“I mean, nothing’s changing. We’re doing what we’re doing,” Watson said of the offense. “Throw it deep, throw it short, throw it across the middle. I mean, everything we’re going to do, we’re going to do.”

“So, just because we lose Will doesn’t mean that the train is going to stop or we’re going to take a different route,” Watson added.

Things will change for the Texans offense especially with the threat that Fuller posed to defenses with his vertical speed. O’Brien is putting trust in his offensive system to find new answers to a budding offense but at this point he is not going to share any secrets for what is in store.

“We have a belief system here and how to do things offensively,” O’Brien said of the offense. “So, we’re going to have to find a way, but obviously when you add a player and you lose a player to injury and all of those things, things change. That’s what you have to do. You have to adapt and try to figure out how you can now move the ball.”

SERIES HISTORY: 7th regular-season meeting. Broncos lead series, 4-2. The Texans have lost the last two meetings. The Texans last win against the Broncos came at Mile High Stadium when Matt Schaub led the Texans to a 31-25 victory over the Peyton Manning-led Broncos.

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