Hopkins tore shoulder ligament 'completely off the bone' during playoffs

DeAndre Hopkins is widely considered one of the NFL's top receivers. The Houston Texans star should also be viewed as one of its toughest after revealing he suffered a gruesome injury in last season's wild-card loss to the Indianapolis Colts.

"I tore ligaments in my shoulder completely off the bone," Hopkins said Saturday, according to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle. "I tried to play even though I had only one arm. We had something good going, and I know they needed me."

Hopkins played the entire 21-7 loss to the AFC South rivals, though he was kept relatively in check, catching just five passes for 37 yards.

Despite a nagging foot injury during the regular season, Hopkins played in all 16 games and earned a first-team All-Pro selection for the second straight year. He finished with career highs in yards (1,572) and catches (115), and scored double-digit touchdowns (11) for the third time in six seasons.

"Last year was tough, not just physically but mentally," Hopkins said. "It's the most banged up I've ever been playing football. I was dealing with serious injuries a lot of people would have sat down for. But we had a good team that depended on me, and I never gave a thought to not playing unless the doctors told me I couldn't."

Hopkins said he's resting his body this offseason and expects to come back "better than ever" next season.

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