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DJ Bien-Aime, ESPNSep 29, 2024, 07:28 PM ET
- DJ Bien-Aime covers the Houston Texans for ESPN. He joined ESPN in July of 2022 after covering the New York Jets. He’s a former athlete who finished his college career at Louisville. You can catch DJ on ESPN Radio on his show, “Talkin’ Texans.”
HOUSTON — Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins had his third 100-yard receiving game this season Sunday, prompting coach DeMeco Ryans to call the wideout, who leads the NFL in receiving yards, an “All-Pro.”
The Texans defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars 24-20, and quarterback C.J. Stroud threw the winning touchdown pass to running back Dare Ogunbowale with 18 seconds left to improve Houston’s record to 3-1.
Collins was an instrumental part of the win, with 11 catches for 151 yards and a touchdown. He now has a league-best 489 receiving yards.
Coming into the season, there was an expectation the Texans’ receiving trio of Stefon Diggs, Tank Dell and Collins would share the ball, with Stroud calling the offense a “five-headed monster.”
But through four weeks, it’s clear Collins is the Texans’ No. 1 wideout.
“Nico is deserving of all the praise and all the credit that he’s getting,” Ryans said. “He’s one of the top receivers in the league, and he’s showing it. He doesn’t have to talk about it. He’s just showing it by what he does on a game-to-game basis. He’s proven that he’s one of the best. He should be All-Pro, Pro Bowl, all those accolades should come to Nico because he’s shown it every single week.”
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Collins called his strong start to the season his “standard,” as he has the most receiving yards for a Texans receiver through the first four games in franchise history surpassing five-time All-Pro DeAndre Hopkins (443) in 2018.
“Those are the types of achievements you want to have. It’s early, but it is a great position to be in right now,” Collins said. “For me, continue to be myself. Don’t be comfortable and continue to build.”
Stroud finished the game with 345 passing yards and two touchdowns. There were moments when the Jaguars’ defense forced the quarterback to scramble, but Stroud and Collins saved the offense in those moments, as they connected for 102 yards from scramble drills, according to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats.
Ryans said the connection between Stroud and Collins is as simple as “Nico is open,” and Stroud said those extended plays are because Collins is “quick on his feet.”
“When I first met Nico down on the field in OTA [last season] I told him, ‘Man you’re a superstar and I’ll make sure people know that,'” Stroud said. “He’s always someone that I lean on. … He’s a heck of a player. I’m super proud of him.”
After signing a three-year, $72.75 million contract extension in the offseason, Collins told ESPN his goal was to beat his 2023 season when he had 1,297 yards (ranked eighth) and eight touchdowns (tied for eighth), and to get at least “1,500 [yards] minimum.”
Right now, Collins is on pace to shatter that offseason goal and hit what would be an NFL record of 2,078 yards. But the former 2021 third-round pick isn’t looking that far ahead at a potential historic season.
“It’s a marathon. It’s a long game. It’s a long season,” Collins said. “Just continue to be me, continue to submerge in the deep end, block out distractions, continue to be myself. … Don’t get comfortable.”
