DeAndre Hopkins Played Through Joint Injury in Shoulder in Texans' Loss to Colts

Houston Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins was held to just five catches for 37 yards in a 21-7 AFC Wild Card playoff loss to the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday.

After the game, Hopkins told James Palmer of NFL Network that he gutted through injury just to stay on the field:

Hopkins went to the locker room with under two minutes left in the first half for an evaluation. He did not record a catch in the second half.

For the season, the six-year pro caught 115 passes for 1,572 yards and 11 touchdowns. He led the league with 13 receiving scores the year before despite playing with three different starting quarterbacks. Hopkins is one of the game's best wideouts (if not the best) when healthy.

Thankfully, the injury doesn't appear serious enough to inhibit him for the 2019 season.

Hopkins deserves tremendous credit for staying in the game, but he's been reliable his entire career.

In addition to his uncanny ability to catch any pass within his general vicinity, Hopkins is also one of the game's most durable players.

Over six seasons, he's started 95 regular-season games and missed just one contest. He's averaged an eye-popping 149.7 targets a season during that span, so the fact that he's been out there almost every week despite his usage is remarkable.

Also, his Saturday performance isn't a reason the team lost.

The Texans offensive line could not protect quarterback Deshaun Watson, who was pressured all night and took eight quarterback hits, three of which were sacks.

Houston's running back trio of Lamar Miller, Alfred Blue and D'Onta Foreman managed just 29 yards on eight carries, and the normally stout run defense allowed Colts running back Marlon Mack to go for 154 scrimmage yards. The secondary also faltered in the first half and allowed two passing scores from quarterback Andrew Luck.

If Hopkins were at 100 percent, the game could have certainly been closer, but the Texans were outclassed in all phases.

Indianapolis will move on to the divisional round and face the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday. The Texans finish their season with an 11-6 record (including playoffs).