Kay Adams Excited to See Hopkins vs. Old Team in NFL Playoffs
By: Robert MacRae January 18, 2025

For the first time since the 2019 season, DeAndre Hopkins will take the field for an NFL playoff game on Saturday – and it just so happens that he will face off against his former squad.

The former Clemson star and current Kansas City Chiefs receiver is set to square off against the Houston Texans in the AFC Divisional Playoffs at 4:30 p.m. Saturday (ESPN/ABC).

A spot in the AFC Championship Game will be at stake when the two teams collide at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, and one particular aspect of the matchup that intrigues Kay Adams is Hopkins going up against his former team, while seeing his first playoff action in quite a while.

Adams, an NFL personality and the host of the Up & Adams show, spoke about that storyline during an appearance on KC Sports Network.

“A storyline I’m really interested or excited about is DeAndre Hopkins,” Adams said. “If I’m comparing it to previous years, quiet game the first time these two met each other. I was actually in Kansas City for that game. It’s his old team. It’s his first playoff game in five years.”

Hopkins was drafted by the Texans in the first round (27th overall) of the 2013 NFL Draft and spent seven seasons (2013-19) in Houston, hauling in 632 receptions for 8,602 yards and 54 touchdowns during that time.

Ironically, the last time Hopkins appeared in the NFL playoffs, he played against his current team – the Chiefs – in his final year as a member of the Texans in 2019. That season in the Divisional Round, Hopkins and the Texans lost to Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, who would go on to win Super Bowl LIV.

Hopkins had a strong performance in that contest, posting 118 receiving yards on nine receptions from Deshaun Watson, though the Texans fell to the Chiefs, 51-31.

Five seasons later, Hopkins will be catching passes from Mahomes when the Chiefs battle the Texans on Saturday. When the two teams met back on Dec. 21 in Week 16 of this season in Kansas City (a 27-19 Chiefs victory), Hopkins was limited to 37 yards on four catches, so he’ll be looking to make a bigger mark in this weekend’s playoff matchup.

“He’s one of the better receivers of our generation,” Adams said. “So, I’m excited to see the chemistry further develop and I’m excited to see a playoff DeAndre back on the field.”

A five-time All-Pro and five-time Pro Bowler, Hopkins was traded to the Chiefs from the Tennessee Titans on Oct. 24. In 10 games for the Chiefs this season, Hopkins has recorded 41 receptions for 437 yards and four touchdowns after catching 15 passes for 173 yards and a score in six games with Tennessee.

The 32-year-old has amassed 984 receptions for 12,965 yards and 83 touchdowns during his 12-year NFL career with the Texans, Arizona Cardinals, Titans and Chiefs.

–Photo courtesy Denny Medley-Imagn Images