“You've got two great players that really play the game well and have a lot of confidence and really step up their game each week. I think that's something that everyone enjoys watching, two competitors going after each other,” Jacksonville Head Coach Doug Marrone said of the matchup between two of the better players at their position.
Texans’ Offensive Coordinator Tim Kelly spoke to the media on Thursday and echoed Marrone’s remarks.
“It's a fun one to watch. It’s two really good players who have similar strengths that go and battle. Every time they play, it's a battle. It's fun to watch. He's a highly competitive player – they both are. They both have great playing strength, they both have good size, so it's a good matchup and it's a fun one to watch on Sundays,” Kelly said.
Even Hopkins enjoys the matchup of going up against one of the game’s top corners.
“He's my favorite corner to play against. He's the only corner in the NFL that actually follows me everywhere I go, so you've got to respect that,” Hopkins said. “No matter where I line up he's right there in front of me. A lot of guys claim they’re number one DBs, but not a lot guys can do that.”
The two have met six times in their careers with Hopkins catching a total of 39 passes for 467 yards and three touchdowns.