Houston Texans star receiver DeAndre Hopkins had a simple response for Miami Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard's claim Hopkins pushes off on opposing defenders.
"Who's Xavien Howard?" Hopkins said bluntly to reporters in Houston on Tuesday.
Hopkins and Howard will face off on when the Dolphins visit the Texans, adding to the anticipation for the Thursday night matchup.
Howard, a Houston native excited for the homecoming, said Monday that Hopkins has a knack of creating space on receivers with his physicality.
"I see he likes to push off a lot," Howard said of Hopkins, who is third in NFL with 707 receiving yards, fifth with 47 catches and 11th with four touchdowns.
"He likes to get physical. That's going to be part of his game. He can make some hell-of-a-catches."
Howard, the Dolphins' budding star cornerback who leads Miami with three interceptions and five pass deflections, believes he can match Hopkins' physicality.
"Oh, yeah. I'm a physical corner. It comes with it."
Howard was not in the Dolphins locker room on Tuesday, shortly before the team left South Florida for Houston.
