The Houston Texans beat the Minnesota Vikings 27-13 in the Metrodome on Friday night, earning their first win in the exhibition opener for both teams.
Texans vs. Vikings, NFL preseason: DeAndre Hopkins, Cordarrelle Patterson rock the stage
A pair of rookie receivers stole the show on a summer night in Minnesota.
Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
Matt Schaub only threw five passes but completed them all for 34 yards, while Christian Ponder tossed two passes and found a different jersey color each time. Newly acquired Matt Cassel made Ponder's night look even more pedestrian with a 12-of-19 showing for 212 yards with a touchdown and interception.
The Texans had to be thrilled with their opening act, especially the performance of first round pick DeAndre Hopkins. The former Clemson star made a tremendous 34-yard touchdown catch among other plays to get the fans jacked up.
Over at Battle Red Blog, Brett Kollmann was feeling very good about Hopkins’ evening:
Just a few short plays later, Hopkins not only broke free yet again, but made one of the most impressive, Andre Johnson-like, borderline unfair catches by a Texans rookie in recent memory. To have a receiver besides #80 that can be “open” without actually being open is both unfamiliar and extremely exciting.
On the other side, Vikings fans also had some fun despite ultimately losing the game. In fact, it was another first round receiver getting the joint jumping in Minnesota.
Christopher Gates of the Daily Norseman talked about Cordarrelle Patterson’s night and what could be his future going forward:
It's hard not to be impressed with what Cordarrelle Patterson did in his first game on an NFL field. The 50-yard kick return to start the game was quite nice, and he also added four catches for 54 yards. A lot of those were against backups, sure, but he showed a lot more polish as a receiver than I think a lot of folks expected.
For more Texans coverage check out Battle Red Blog and if you’re a Vikings fanatic, check out the Daily Norseman.
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