When NFL defensive coordinators put together game plans for the week, they look to take away the number one weapon on the offensive side of the ball. He is the most dangerous person with the ball in his hands.

Some teams may even have a secondary option that will stand out on film. That player will garner the left-over attention not given to the star player.

The issue that Houston Texans defensive coordinator Lovie Smith faces on Sunday when they take on the undefeated Arizona Cardinals is they have a team full of number one’s on the offensive side of the ball.

We will start with the obvious in quarterback Kyler Murray. He is having a good season so far, passing for 14 touchdowns and only four interceptions. The glaring stat that stands out is his 116 yards rushing.

One would ask, ‘Why is that stat so great?”

Murray has become so dangerous as a passer that he does not have to use his legs as much. His mobility has allowed him to be more effective in and out of the pocket, which causes issues for defensive players.

“There’s a lot of different ways, teams have tried everything,” said coach Lovie Smith. “You can try to blitz him. When you blitz him, though, there are only a few eyes on him when he breaks. But just his mobility causes problems, and you just want to try to keep it pinned in and keep those scrambles to a minimum as much as anything.”

Once Murray takes the snap from under center, he has a plethora of great options to get the ball too. Wide receivers A.J. Green, Christian Kirk, and rookie Rondale Moore have combined for 984 yards and seven touchdowns on the season, but it is one player that Murray has his eyes on every play, and that is former Texans player DeAndre Hopkins.

Hopkins was drafted by the Texans in 2013, was traded in March 2020 to the Cardinals for running back David Johnson and draft picks. He finished his first season in Arizona with 115 receptions and 1,407 yards and was selected second-team All-Pro. He is on track for his seventh 1,000 yards receiving in nine seasons.

“When you’re going against one of the best receivers playing, there’s a lot of different things you have to deal with,” defensive coordinator Lovie Smith said when asked about stopping Hopkins. “DeAndre (Hopkins), he’s excellent in one-on-one situations, whether it’s man coverage, just going up and getting the football, no one competes harder than him. It’s a challenge. It’s a challenge, our guys should know that.