Receivers come to Hopkins' defense after refs steal his TD
It didn't take long for the officials to have an impact on the NFL's return to Mexico on Monday night.
On the first drive of the game, Houston Texans receiver DeAndre "Nuke" Hopkins caught a pass and turned upfield with eyes on the end zone, only to have officials call him out of bounds.
dtexanz: Nuk ESPN Monday Night Football: Texans vs. Raiders https://t.co/otW2EhdtPI pic.twitter.com/OIm7BVt50S
— FanSportsClips (@FanSportsClips) November 22, 2016
The only problem? He wasn't out of bounds.
soconnell: A lucky break for the #Raiders ABC Monday Night Football: Texans vs. Raiders https://t.co/74sauHa8AE pic.twitter.com/fhqY33uc9W
— FanSportsClips (@FanSportsClips) November 22, 2016
Fellow NFL pass-catchers immediately came to Hopkins' defense:
They just robbed the bro @Nukdabomb
— Keenan Allen (@Keenan13Allen) November 22, 2016
Lol! Refs Just Stole A TD From Nuke
— Eric Ebron (@Ebron85) November 22, 2016
WOW. HE AINT EVEN STEP OUT!
— Strizzy (@JaelenStrong) November 22, 2016
I would be tight.. cause he ain't step out lol
— Mohamed Sanu Sr. (@Mo_12_Sanu) November 22, 2016
The officials missed another call right after the miscue, as Texans head coach Bill O'Brien challenged the play, which happened to be unchallengeable. O'Brien should have been levied a penalty for tossing the flag - even if they found Hopkins stayed in bounds, the result wouldn't have changed.
Not a great start.