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All season long, the New England Patriots have shut down opposing receivers with relative ease.
As a team defensively, the Patriots have been pressuring opposing quarterbacks and giving receivers very little space to make a catch or be open.
On Sunday, New England will face its toughest challenge of the season in the pass coverage department with Deshaun Watson, DeAndre Hopkins, and the rest of an explosive Texans offense. Belichick was asked on Wednesday about how he is prepared to face the test of covering DeAndre Hopkins, and the Patriots coach heaped praise on the Texans’ receiver.
“As good as there is. He’s got tremendous ball skills, he’s long, great judgment, great timing to go up and get the ball. Makes some extended catches that I don’t know how many guys other than him could make them. He’s got good hands, good timing, and creates separation with his quickness and his physical size and length. He’s really never covered because there’s always someplace you can put the ball where he can catch it and he has the hands to catch it. Very hard guy to stop and they move him around. You’ve got to find him first to even cover him. It’s a big challenge to handle him, he’s clearly one of the top guys in the league. He gets a lot of coverage and still has an enormous amount of production.”
The Texans have an elite receiving corps aside from Hopkins, with Kenny Stills and Will Fuller providing additional passing options for Watson.
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How Has Hopkins Performed Against New England in the Past?
Hopkins has dominated just about every team in the league and New England is no different. Even with New England’s defensive strength over the years, Houston hasn’t been afraid to go to Hopkins when they need a big play.
The Patriots will likely pit top corner Stephon Gilmore against Hopkins on Sunday night as they look to neutralize his damage against the Patriots defense. Gilmore held Dallas receiver Amari Cooper without a catch in Week 12 and has matched up against other top receivers this season like Odell Beckham Jr. this season as well.
With Gilmore’s status as the best corner in the NFL, currently, this week will be one of the most anticipated individual matchups of the year.
How Will Watson Impact Patriots Gameplan?
New England will not only face the task of stopping Hopkins in the passing game but trying to contain quarterback Deshaun Watson. Another mobile quarterback like Lamar Jackson, the Patriots will need to be on top of their game defensively.
In his first matchup with the Patriots, Watson passed for over 300 yards and two touchdowns in a 36-33 loss at Gillette Stadium in 2017. Last season, in the opening game of the year, Watson struggled, completing just 50 percent of his passes and just 176 yards in a 27-20 road defeat.
New England has had varied success against him in the past, and with a stronger receiving unit than he’s ever had, Watson could be on the brink of stunning performance.
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