After plenty of speculation regarding their quarterback situation, Ryan Fitzpatrick certainly did enough to get the win against the Washington Redskins and quieting the doubters for at least a week. Entering the game being on the hot seat with Ryan Mallett waiting in the wings, Fitzpatrick responded with a sound game taking advantage of some of his biggest playmakers in the process. The biggest beneficiary of that was DeAndre Hopkins who had himself a career game on Sunday.
Fitzpatrick completed 14 of 22 passes for 206 yards and one touchdown. It certainly was not a headline grabbing performance, but it was enough for the Texans to break their lengthy losing streak. Head coach Bill O'Brien noted that Fitzpatrick did everyone the team asked him to do on Sunday and liked what he saw from the quarterback.
"This was obviously a great start for us," Fitzpatrick said, via the Houston Chronicle. "To me, it was so exciting to get out there and to just feel the energy in the stadium. ... It was a hard-fought game for us (Sunday). As I think everybody found out here last year, everybody knows in the NFL any win is a great win and so we're real happy in that locker room right now."
One thing was very clear during the win, Hopkins has the making of a top wide receiver in the league and could unseat Andre Johnson at the top. Hopkins finished the day with 89 yards off four catches, his longest being 76 yards. That is only a few behind Johnson who finished the day with 93 yards, his longest being 23 yards. The receivers combined for a two-headed fantasy monster. Johnson proved that he can be trusted and relied upon after a roller coast offseason that include a lengthy hold out and injury.
However, Hopkins is a surprise. His play could looked at in two different ways. Some might be believe the big play was simply a fluke while others might see it as what is to come. The big thing is that Hopkins could build on the success as it does not appear anyone is upsetting Fitzpatrick has the team's starter. Hopkins showed great speed and routing running abilities. With Garrett Graham injured, Hopkins will keep getting the looks he deserves.
