HOUSTON – Nico Collins reacted like an opportunistic defensive back Sunday when something uncharacteristic happened: the first interception Texans rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud has thrown this season.
After New Orleans Saints linebacker Zach Baun undercut tight end Dalton Schultz to pick off Stroud, Collins knocked the football out of his hands. Baun never saw Collins coming. At 6-foot-4, 215 pounds, Collins looked like an imposing safety on the play.
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“I seen ball, I saw straight ball,” said Collins, who also caught four passes for 80 yards on six targets. “He wasn’t even worried about me. I knew we needed the ball back. It didn’t even seem right the defense got the ball, so my main focus was to get the ball out so we can go score. I just punched it out.”
#Texans wide receiver Nico Collins @lbg_nico7 on forced fumble, win over #Saints @KPRC2 pic.twitter.com/1YVuRz5Any
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) October 16, 2023
And offensive guard Tytus Howard pounced on the loose football during the first quarter of the Texans’ 20-13 victory over the Saints at NRG Stadium. Six plays later, Schultz caught a 1-yard touchdown pass from Stroud to build a 7-0 lead that they never relinquished in improving to 3-3 heading into a bye week.
“Really, I was just back there playing safety,” Howard said. “I’m the last guy. If he gets past me, it’s a touchdown. I saw Nico punch the ball out and it came right to me.”
What Collins did echoed from the reminders of cornerbacks coach Dino Vasso in team meetings. Every week, he stresses ball security to the team, including clips of defensive players intercepting passes and not taking care of the football.
“We talk about the ball, Dino comes up here every Wednesday and talks about what we need to do with the ball, protect it and take it,” Stroud said. “And I gave it away, which isn’t a great thing. You know me, I went in and tried to get his leg, so I try to get a little tackle, probably soft, but I think I made him cut. It was all Nico. Nico made a good play.”
Stroud went on to capitalize on the second chance and execute the drive, which included a 34-yard completion to wide receiver Noah Brown to set up Schultz’s score.
“That just shows what type of dude he is: calm and collected,” Collins said. “That bad play is over with. Let’s keep going. We still got the ball back, time to go score and put some points on the board. It’s only going to get better for him and we’re going to continue to have his back.”
And Collins is having a breakthrough season with 25 catches for 467 yards and a career-high three touchdowns. His previous career best was 37 catches for 481 yards and two scores last season.
Stroud completed 13 of 27 passes for 199 yards, two touchdowns, the aforementioned interception and was sacked only twice.
“With C.J., it’s the same. It’s resiliency,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “I can’t say enough about Nico and his effort, his mindset to go and get the ball back in that situation, and the resiliency of our offense just to, no matter what happened, bad things happen, but you don’t let that affect the next play.
“They went down and drove on them and scored right there. I think that was the turning point of the game for us and on offense. Bad things happen. We responded the correct way. That’s what you continue to see from C.J., even though it’s a bad play, it doesn’t affect the next play. That’s growth and that’s really great to see from a young quarterback.”
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com.