The Chiefs can handle a Texans offense without DeAndre Hopkins no sweat, right? Maybe
The Houston Texans are set to march into Arrowhead Stadium for the Chiefs’ and NFL’s season opener without three-time All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who was traded to the Arizona Cardinals during the offseason.
Hopkins, who posted three straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons from 2017-19, is widely regarded as one of the NFL’s elite wide receivers.
His absence signals a perceived hole in Houston’s passing game, so defending the Texans’ offense should prove easy for the Chiefs Thursday night, right?
Well, not so fast.
“The biggest challenge is probably we don’t really know who the go-to guy is,” Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo said Monday. “We kind of knew that last year. Whether that was good or bad, I don’t know, but it seemed to be good.”
Spagnuolo has a point on dealing with the known and previously scheming against Hopkins as the Texans’ clear No. 1 receiving threat, but it’s not like Houston has a bare cupboard in 2020.
The Texans still have a capable weapon in Will Fuller, who has averaged 14.3 yards per catch over the past four seasons. Houston then bolstered its receiving corps in the wake of Hopkins’ departure by adding Randall Cobb, a Pro Bowl selection in 2014, through free agency, and acquiring Brandin Cooks, who has four 1,000-yard seasons in his career, from the Los Angeles Rams.
The Texans’ trio of wide receivers won’t be confused for Hopkins, of course, but they still pose a threat collectively given their respective production in recent seasons.
And the Texans still boast capable running backs in David Johnson and Duke Johnson. Both are exceptional receiving threats out of the backfield to go along with tight end Darren Fells.
And there’s yet another obstacle the Chiefs must overcome in their preparations this week.
The lack of preseason games due to COVID-19 robbed the Chiefs’ coaching staff of a valuable resource — exhibition game film — in scouting their opponents. So the Chiefs’ defense will go into Thursday’s game without a clear vision about how Houston plans to attack.
“Without any film to go off, we’re not really sure where they’re headed in terms of what they’re going to put out there,” Spagnuolo said. “We’re going to have to figure it out quick.
“That’s part of the chess game in the first game of the season. Even when you have the preseason games, there’s still a lot of things you have to figure out.”
This much is sure: The Chiefs understand they can no longer scheme for the specific primary threat that Hopkins previously posed in Houston’s passing game.
Instead, the KC defense, which ranked eighth against the pass in 2019, must get ready for numerous scenarios and adapt as necessary whenever quarterback Deshaun Watson drops back to pass.
“It sounds and feels like they’re going to spread the ball around, which means we’re going to have to deal with a bunch of them and they got some speed over there,” Spagnuolo said. “We know what Fuller is like. Cooks they add to the mix. I’ve always felt Randall Cobb is a good football player.”
Chiefs safety Tyrann Mathieu agreed.
“They’re still a talented group,” Mathieu said. “With or without DeAndre, I think they have the ability to wreck a football game. There’s still a lot of speed out there.”
