DeAndre Hopkins Wanted No Part of the Scramble for Ryan Fitzpatrick's Fumble

NFL wide receivers must be willing to go after balls in the air that can put them in vulnerable positions. Apparently DeAndre Hopkins of the Houston Texans forgot that the same logic applies to live balls on the ground.

After storming out to a 24-0 lead against Houston on Thursday night, Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts fended off a strong second-half comeback from the Texans. Fumbles would be Houston's undoing, and a Ryan Fitzpatrick turnover in the final minutes effectively finished off their chances.

With two minutes remaining on the clock, Colts outside linebacker Bjoern Werner managed to punch the ball out of Fitzpatrick’s grasp, leaving a live fumble on the ground. Many men rushed to retrieve the ball. DeAndre Hopkins was not one of them. 

The Texans wideout appeared to move toward the fumble, assess the situation and think better of diving into what would certainly be a pile of pain. 

Barstool Sports’ David Portnoy captured a Vine of the non-recovery. Hopkins was not about to lay out for this garbage.

The Colts recovered the ball and eked out a 33-28 victory over the Texans. 

According to the Houston Chronicle’s Brian T. Smith, Hopkins says he wasn’t trying to avoid the fumble, but merely “misjudged” the ball’s trajectory.

“I kind of judged it wrong,” Hopkins told Smith. “I couldn’t really see the way it was bouncing. After looking at it, I definitely think I could have dove and got it. Out there on the field, I thought too much.”

Thinking is a double-edged sword on the football field. Sometimes it saves you. Sometimes it betrays you. And sometimes, you should always lay out for the ball.

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