How will NFC West receivers fare on LA Rams’ Ramsey Island?

Arizona Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals made a rather impressive trade for Hoston Texans’ wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins with the intention of making up ground against the LA Rams in the offseason. But this is not making up any ground at all, merely reigniting one of the hottest NFL rivalries of the modern era. Was the reason why the Houston Texans were so modest when they set the price for Hopkins from the Cards?

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The Landry Hat

In any case, the LA Rams fans will see one of the fiercest and most flammable rivalries to set foot on an NFL field.  Often heralded as the “Game within the game”, the battle between the two is always fierce and competitive. Per Garry Smits of Jacksonville.com, the battle between the two oftentimes determines the outcomes of games. Against Ramsey, Hopkins averages seven receptions for 83 yards in four victories and 5.5 receptions for 67.5 yards in two losses, both coming in 2017. Of course, that was when Ramsey played for the Jacksonville Jaguars, and Hopkins was catching passes thrown by Houston Texans quarterback DeShaun Watson. Is Arizona Cardinals’ quarterback in Watson’s league yet?  I don’t think so.

Pass rush and Murray  will make up the difference

While many defenders in the NFC West are strangers to Hopkins, Ramsey and Hopkins faced off twice a year. If you want a preview of what we’re talking about, here is a video of the matchup of their first meeting in week two of 2019. Those types of competitive battles result in complete respect. Hopkins is one of the best receivers in the game today. But he will only be as good as the quarterback throwing to him. The Jaguars learned that defending Hopkins is as much about generating a pass rush as defending the receiver. Does Ramsey agree?  Catch what Hopkins said about Ramsey before they faced each other last year?

"“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 gotta respect that,” Hopkins said, according to Mark Berman of FOX 26 in Houston."

And Ramsey has called Hopkins the complete receiver. Even in losses, holding Hopkins to under 90 yards on average is a good defense. Holding him to under 70 is an outright miracle.  But keep in mind that Deshaun Watson completed 67.3 percent of his passes in 2019 while throwing for 3,852 yards, 26 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. Kyler Murray 64.4 percent of his passes while throwing for 3,722 yards, 20 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. In two meetings against the Rams, Murray completed 45 of 76 passes for 488 yards, two touchdowns, three interceptions, and was sacked seven times.