Rivalry renewed: Get popcorn ready for Hopkins vs Ramsey...

Rivalry renewed: Get popcorn ready for Cardinals' DeAndre Hopkins vs. Rams' Jalen Ramsey

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We haven’t heard or seen much of DeAndre Hopkins since the Cardinals wide receiver out-jumped three Bills defenders in the end zone and came down with that game-winning, 43-yard “Hail Murray” reception three weeks ago.

Since then, he’s been quiet. Too quiet, really.

Hopkins, in fact, is coming off his worst two-game stretch, statistically, in five years. He caught five passes for 51 yards and no touchdowns in a 28-21 loss at the Seahawks and followed that up this past Sunday with five receptions for 55 yards and no touchdowns in a 20-17 loss at the Patriots. He hasn’t experienced any type of back-to-back performances such as that since a below-average, four-game stretch in 2016.

And now as fate would have it, Hopkins is about to meet up with his arch rival, Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey, when the two superstars square off in a showdown this Sunday at State Farm Stadium. They tangled against each other for nearly four seasons as division opponents in the AFC South when Hopkins played with the Texans and Ramsey was still with the Jaguars.

Six of the previous seven meetings were basically a wash, with Ramsey limiting Hopkins to an average of 5.8 receptions and 61.3 receiving yards with four total touchdowns and Ramsey collecting 27 tackles with one interception and 12 passes defensed. Hopkins dominated him at least once, though, snatching 12 catches for 147 yards in a 20-3 win by the Texans in the 2018 regular-season finale.

“Those two have tremendous respect for one another,” Rams coach Sean McVay said Wednesday during a conference call with Arizona reporters. “They’re two of the best in the world at what they do. That’s what you love about the NFL, is getting these five-star matchups between these two types of players on Sundays.”

Hopkins and Ramsey have each said it before, that the other is the best they’ve ever encountered on the football field. And in this particular matchup, the consequences of the outcome could be immense. The winning team will have a leg up on the other in the NFC playoff hunt. The loser could find itself just hanging on and needing help from elsewhere to get in.

The game won’t be determined strictly by whatever happens between Hopkins and Ramsey, of course, but it figures to be such terrific theater that Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson is completely antsy to watch how it all plays out.

“It’s going to be a great matchup. I can’t wait to watch it from the sideline,” Peterson said Thursday. “Like you alluded to, those guys had battles when they were in the AFC South and those guys seem like they can’t get away from each other. But that’s what the game is all about, when the best of the best are competing against each other, trying to make each other better, and also get the best of that guy as well.

“I’m expecting it to be an extremely challenging matchup between both guys and I definitely will have my popcorn out watching it from the sideline, for sure.”

When the Jaguars dealt Ramsey to the Rams for two first-round draft picks and a fourth-rounder to boot, the Cardinals’ hearts sank. The same thing happened to Ramsey and the Rams when the Cardinals pulled off their blockbuster trade for Hopkins in March. Then, in back-to-back days in early September, each franchise locked up their new star playmaker with record-setting contract extensions.

On Sept.8, Hopkins negotiated his own deal that, in part, pays him $29 million this year to make him the highest-paid wide receiver in NFL history. A day later, the Rams made Ramsey the highest-paid defensive back ever, signing him to a deal that pays him $26.2 million in 2020. Hopkins’ deal runs through 2024. Ramsey’s takes him through the 2025 season.

That means they could be knocking heads at least nine more times after Sunday’s game. They meet again in four weeks in the regular-season finale at SoFi Stadium. Imagine the epic battle should they ever meet in the playoffs. Every time they lock horns, though, it’s always must-see TV.

“He had a 99 overall rating on Madden, so that’s damn near un-guardable on Madden, right? It’s pretty much like that in real life, too. It’s tough,” Ramsey told reporters before the last time he faced Hopkins, back in September of 2019. “It’s one of the toughest battles I have each year, year-in, year-out.”

Typically, Ramsey doesn’t dole out very many compliments, so you know his appreciation for Hopkins is real.

“DeAndre has certainly established himself as one of the premier players in the NFL, let alone a receiver,” Rams defensive coordinator Branden Staley told reporters Wednesday, adding of the matchup with Ramsey, “Those guys have a great sense for who each other is. Much like a few weeks ago when Jalen was going head-to-head with (the Seahawks’ DK (Metcalf) and then (the Buccaneers’) Mike Evans and Antonio (Brown) and all those guys, that’s what makes the NFL special.

“Certainly, these guys have had a history together, so that kind of adds to the intrigue. But DeAndre has really fit in well with that offense. I think Kliff is doing a really good job getting him the football, and he’s a really dangerous player. He can really challenge you in the deep part of the field. He’s physical. He can run the route tree inside and out. He’s really good after the catch, he catches it short, he can break tackles.

“It’s going to be a fun matchup for fans, for sure.”

Hopkins, who ranks third in the league with 77 receptions and fourth with 967 yards, hasn’t met with reporters since he hauled in his famous touchdown grab against the Bills. He’s always spoken highly of Ramsey, though, and before they met in Houston in Week 2 last season, he raved about him.

“He’s my favorite corner to play against,” Hopkins told reporters at the time. “He’s the one corner who actually follows me wherever I go, so you’ve got to respect that. … He’s not the average corner. He’s long, physical, has the size. He’s everything you want from a football player.”

Likewise, Sunday’s matchup is everything you want in a one-on-one duel.

“This matchup is definitely evenly matched and it’s going to be fun to watch,” Peterson said. “I had the opportunity to watch them when they were going up against each other back in the day, and it’s going to be another clash of the titans.”