Houston Texans: Week 3's HOH Golden Bull Award Goes To...

The Houston Texans were definitely back in stride fresh off their quick 2-0 start heading into Sunday’s game.

The struggling New York Giants were the next opponent on their list and things were looking good enough to where they would likely come out the victor.

But that wasn’t so…

It was apparent that the Giants did not want start the season 0-3 because it’s rare that a team can recover gracefully from such a rough start and they might as well pack it in for the season.

Jobs would’ve been on the line…

So, in essence, the Giants were playing for their reason to exist as they know it.

And it showed out on the football field…

This loss was a learning experience for the Texans in regard to what they need to work on in terms of being successful against future opponents.

Ryan Fitzpatrick was forced to throw the ball 34 times and was responsible for the team’s three total turnovers.

Because Arian Foster was out, he couldn’t rely on him as much to move the ball down field and it was his arm that was needed to make it happen.

The Giants’ pass rush picked Fitzy apart and it wasn’t pretty…

Alfred Blue did all he could on the ground in Foster’s stead but it’s obviously clear that he is not on the level with Foster’s talent just yet.

He racked up yards on the ground, he racked up yards in the air almost totaling 100 yards combined but it just wasn’t enough.

September 14, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Houston Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins (10) is tackled by Oakland Raiders cornerback Tarell Brown (23) during the first quarter at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

But there has been one consistent contributor for the Texans and despite us being in the doldrums for most of the game, he showed up for work.

Because of this, excellence deserves to be recognized — we started at the beginning of the season and on that type of basis continuously, we will honor an individual player that made the most impact in helping the team, despite whether it resulted in a win or a loss.

We’ve dubbed it House of Houston Golden Bull Award…

And this week’s Golden Bull Award goes to…

DeAndre Hopkins!

After being rarely tapped last season in his rookie year, Bill O’Brien clearly is using him as a top target in the Texans’ passing game.

I never understood why Gary Kubiak would not bring him in the grand scheme of things when Andre Johnson would be getting double coverage, Matt Schaub would be getting pressured into throwing a pick, when Hopkins would be just standing there, waiting for his opportunity.

That’s not the case this year…

So far, he is the leading wide out in terms of total yardage. He has caught 13 balls for 227 yards and two touchdowns.

Sep 7, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins (10) during the game against the Washington Redskins at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

He is averaging 17.5 yards per catch which I’d have to say is mighty productive.

He has three receptions above 20 yards and two catches above 40 yards.

Not too shabby for the 2nd-year player…

Sunday, he had six receptions for 116 yards averaging 19.3 yards per catch with the longest being 49 yards.

That 49-yard catch was a beauty…

It was part of a drive that ended with a rushing touchdown by Fitz but it was Hopkins that kept it alive.

Fitz had just picked up a first down with his legs and decided to go deep left to Hopkins who gracefully made that catch for 49 yards…

Houston Texans: Week 3’s HOH Golden Bull Award Goes To…

By Brian K. Patterson | Sep 23, 2014