EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Brandin Cooks was back on the field with his teammates Sunday, returning after missing one game for personal reasons after expressing displeasure at not being traded at the NFL deadline.
The Texans got some reinforcements from the veteran wide receiver along with starting wide receiver Nico Collins returning from a groin injury and starting defensive tackle Maliek Collins from a chest injury.
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The Texans still lost, though, despite getting three of their best players back, falling 24-16 to the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium.
Cooks caught four passes for 37 yards on seven targets with his touchdown catch in the fourth quarter nullified due to a holding penalty on rookie offensive guard Kenyon Green.
“Not finishing, it’s tough,” Cooks said on the Texans dropping to 1-7-1 overall after going 1 for 6 in the red zone. “That’s the name of the game in these games in this league. It comes down to the wire. To not come out on top consistently is definitely frustrating.
“That’s a tough one. Anytime you’re in a game like that and you get in the end zone and it gets called back, regardless of who gets it, it’s a tough one. Obviously, the game is so close. To not be able to capitalize in the red zone is really tough.”
As for playing again with the Texans, which could be his final season in Houston if an offseason trade is worked out, Cooks replied: “It was good. It was great being out there with my guys.”
Nico Collins caught five passes for 49 yards on 10 targets with one touchdown, his first score of the season.
There was a concerted effort from quarterback Davis Mills, who passed for a season-high 319 yards, to try to get the football to Collins, a big target at 6-foot-4, 215 pounds.
“To be able to be back with my brothers, it felt great,” Collins said. “To be back out there with my brothers making plays, it was fun. I felt great. It’s not fun being injured. I know the team needed a wideout. To come back, it felt good to be out there making plays for the offense. We got to keep building.
“To get a touchdown, that’s big-time. It’s amazing. It felt good to get in the paint. That’s everybody’s goal: to score a touchdown.”
Maliek Collins had four tackles, one quarterback hit and a half-sack in his first game back at his usual three-technique position after getting hurt against the Las Vegas Raiders.
“It feels good,” he said. “I wish we could have come out with a dub, though.”
The Texans allowed Giants star running back Saquon Barkley to rush for 152 yards on 35 carries.
“Tackling, which leads to leak yardage and just big plays,” Collins said. “We can’t give up those big runs. Everybody fought to the end. We have to be more gap disciplined, more gap sound and stay in our gaps when it’s required, so we can be victorious. That’s the main thing for how do we get over this hump and how do we start winning games.”
Aaron Wilson is a contributor to KPRC 2 and click2houston.com.