HOUSTON -- While some wide receivers around the NFL may fade down the stretch, DeAndre Hopkins only gets better.
The Houston Texans receiver leads the NFL with 407 fourth-quarter receiving yards this season, according to ESPN Stats & Information. The Steelers receiver Antonio Brown is second (365) and the Green Bay Packers' Davante Adams is third (292).
Hopkins has done it with both of the Texans' starting quarterbacks, Deshaun Watson and Tom Savage. Houston fell short against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 8, but Hopkins had 106 of his 224 receiving yards in the final period. He also had three catches for 56 yards in the fourth quarter as the Texans attempted a comeback against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 9 with Savage under center.
This season Hopkins has had 160 yards in the first quarter, 216 yards in the second quarter, 221 in the third and then 407 in the fourth. Of Hopkins' 11 games this season, he had three games without a catch in the fourth quarter, two of which games were blowout wins, including a 57-14 victory over the Tennessee Titans.
Hopkins, who leads the NFL with nine receiving touchdowns this season, credited his endurance to the work he puts in during the offseason, saying he believes not many other players train the way he does.
"The way I train in the offseason [is] the way I train my body to be prepared in the fourth quarter," Hopkins said. "I see a lot of guys and their stamina is at an all-time low in the fourth quarter, and I feel like mine is still where it was in the first quarter of the game."
The veteran wide receiver runs at least five miles a day, something the 25-year-old said he's done since high school, to work on his endurance.
"A lot of the people I know, they don't train like that," Hopkins said. "They do a lot of quick stuff, just speed drills. But I run long distance. I've always been like that, though, even when I was in high school. That's just how I train myself."
The Texans have played seven games decided by 10 points or fewer, including four of their last five, which further emphasizes the importance of Hopkins' endurance.
"He does get stronger as the game goes on," Texans head coach Bill O'Brien said. "It's a credit to him. I also think that in some of these games, we've been behind, we've been throwing the ball a lot, so obviously the ball goes to him quite a bit. But, no doubt about the fact that he gets stronger as the game goes on.
"He's definitely in good shape. He can run all day. He practices that way. He's definitely in top condition, no doubt about it."