Deshaun Watson, DeAndre Hopkins Ready to Become Best QB-WR Duo in NFL Today

Travel back in time with us a bit, for it's there the future emerged.

It was October of last year, and Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson and receiver DeAndre Hopkins spent much of the afternoon lighting a historic Seahawks defense on fire. It was one of the most electric rookie performances in the history of the sport.

Watson threw for 402 yards and four touchdowns while adding 67 yards rushing. Hopkins had eight catches for 224 yards and one touchdown. It took Russell Wilson everything he had—452 passing yards, four touchdowns and 30 yards rushing—to beat them.

The numbers from the game read like something from a science fiction novel. And Watson walked away with a piece of history—becoming the first player in the Super Bowl era to record at least 400 yards passing, four passing scores and at least 50 rushing yards in a single game.

By the time the game was over, Watson had compiled 19 passing touchdowns for the season, the most ever by a rookie in his first seven games. Do you know who he passed? It was Hall of Famer Kurt Warner, who had 18 through the first seven games of the 1998-99 season. 

Watson also had a rookie-record three-plus passing scores in four straight games.

Despite the 41-38 loss to Seattle, the game was, in many ways, the coming-out party for the DeFest Crew—Deshaun and DeAndre.

That Seahawks defense wasn't fazed by much, but many of Seattle's All-Pros made a point to say they were stunned by Houston's offense that day. There was a feeling they had just witnessed the future.

"Has there ever been a rookie to do that?" then-Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman asked. "Maybe [Michael] Vick ... I think [Watson's] going to be a special player in this league. He made plays that very few people in this league can make, including the top tier guys."

Fast forward to this week, and some bold words from Hopkins:

"Honestly, I feel like I set the standard high for myself and him, so I think we can be the best in this league," Hopkins told John McClain of the Houston Chronicle. "I think [Deshaun] can be the best quarterback. I know I can be the best wide receiver. That's our mindset coming into the season."

Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images

Now before you say Hopkins is deluding himself, you need to know there are some people around the league who agree with him.

They may not be wrong. Remember that Hopkins last year caught a league-high 13 touchdowns, seven of them from Watson. Before Watson tore his ACL after Week 8, the Texans averaged 30.7 points a game. Watson was on pace for 43 touchdowns.

So, yes, they could be the best.

Consider the three best duos right now (in order, according to me): Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown; Atlanta's Matt Ryan and Julio Jones; the Giants' Eli Manning and Odell Beckham.

This list is going to change this year.

Roethlisberger is 36, and Manning is 37. And while Tom Brady may be able to play at a high level at the age of 40, not everyone is Brady. Roethlisberger also worries me because he still takes huge hits and flirts a little too often with retirement talk.

Ryan and Jones likely will remain dominant, but it will be interesting to see if Jones' desire for a new contract affects that dynamic. The same probably could be said about Beckham.

The advantage of the DeFest Crew is youth—Watson is just 22 and Hopkins only 25—and contracts that take Watson through 2020 and Hopkins through 2022. For all of the ageless-ness of guys like Brady, professional football remains a young man's sport.

Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press

The biggest problem the Texans will face are expectations. After last year's taste, they will get every defense's best shot from here on out. Yet if Watson stays healthy and Hopkins is, well, Hopkins, then the Texans will be one of the favorites in the AFC. They'll also be so over-the-radar that their season will set off alarms at NORAD.

"I think the sky's the limit for us," Hopkins said. "We have players everywhere. I think we've got all the pieces."

They do, especially the two most important parts in Watson and Hopkins. Two players who may make us rethink who the best quarterback-receiver duo is in the NFL.

Mike Freeman covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter:@mikefreemanNFL.