HOUSTON – Nico Collins stretched out, extending his body in the wide seam he created between two Tennessee Titans defensive backs.
At 6-foot-4, 222 pounds, Collins is one of the most imposing and athletic wide receivers in the league. And he’s an especially difficult coverage assignment.
Recommended Videos
Collins tapped his cleats, one at a time, as he secured a perfectly delivered football from Texans quarterback Davis Mills, his good friend and part of the same Nick Caserio draft class in the third round in 2021.
The clutch 17-yard reception on a gotta-have-it, 3rd-and-16 play boosted the Texans as they won the game Sunday on a last-second field goal five plays after Collins’ big catch.
“Nico is a stud,”Mills said. “I feel like he gets better when the plays get harder. He’s an extremely friendly target. Anytime he’s one-on-one, even two-on-one sometimes, he’s going to find a way to get open and come down with the ball. So, having a guy like that on your team is extremely fun to play with.”
Without Collins’ nine catches for 92 yards and a touchdown on 10 targets, especially his late play in the fourth quarter, the Texans possibly don’t sweep the season series over the Titans to improve to 5-5 overall.
“Oh man, this team, they count on me,” Collins said. “I’m grateful. They give me the opportunity to just go out and make a play. Whenever my number is called, I have to go out there and execute. So, that’s my job.”
Collins is on a tear the past two weeks catching passes from Mills again. He has combined for 16 catches for 228 yards and one touchdown in wins over the Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars, including a season-high 136 yards on a career-high 15 targets. He’s been heavily involved, with a combined 25 targets in two games.
The Mills to Collins connection is cooking.
“Davis and Nico, they’ve done it before and they continue to do it,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “They’re doing a good job. Davis is doing a good job of finding the right guy, throw it down there to No. 12 and he’s going to make a big play for us. Those guys are doing a really great job and it’s no bigger play than the 3rd-and-16, the play that Nico makes.
“The catch, to be able to get both feet down, it’s an outstanding play. Great job by Davis of giving them an opportunity to finish that play in bounds. When we needed a spark, we needed to get going, we started to feed the ball to our best player, Nico and he showed up and showed why he’s one of the best receivers in the league.”
Collins, after a slow start to the season as the entire offense struggled, is up to 49 catches for 642 yards and four touchdowns, on 82 targets. He’s on pace for 83 catches for 1,091 yards and seven touchdowns.
“I think Nico has done a great job of executing, he’s a great player,” Texans offensive coordinator Nick Caley said. “I think we’re always trying to, obviously, keep him at the focal point of our offense, and love getting him the ball.
“He makes plays. He’s got aggressive hands. He’s a dynamic playmaker, and he’s a great teammate. So, that doesn’t change from week to week for us.”
Over the past two weeks with Mills stepping in for injured quarterback C.J. Stroud, Collins is a huge factor in the offense. Stroud will miss his third consecutive game Thursday night against the Buffalo Bills due to remaining in the NFL concussion protocol.
Mills and Collins are in a great sync together in their collaboration, especially on that pivotal third down.
“It was a big read by Mills: caught them in a zone, Cover-2, had the corner route, kept it high, toe tap on the sideline,” Collins said. “It means a lot. It comes down to the week of practice, extra reps, routes on air, the communication out there, just seeing what he sees.
“And just coming back to the huddle and saying, ‘We keep it hot just like that,’ that’s all it takes. And then just continuing to stack wood and continuing to get better every single day.”
Not to mention Collins’ skills and size, which are superior to most of the defensive backs he faces. In November, he has 23 catches for 302 yards and one touchdown. He has 267 career catches for 3,872 yards and 22 touchdowns.
“When Nico is out there, he’s getting targeted,” Ryans said. “For the most time when he gets targeted, he comes down with the football.
Collins led the Texans’ offense with nine catches for 92 yards and a touchdown against the Titans. The receptions represented his most this season, and the yards were his third-most of the year.
“Nico is a great player,” Mills said. “Anytime you can get him the ball, it makes it hard on opposing teams, their defenses especially. When you’re getting a guy like that the ball and it’s really affecting the game, they have to find a way to stop it, and it ends up opening up other people on the field.
“So, I’m not saying we’re really forcing him the ball, but there’s plays when we’re trying to get one of our best playmakers, if not our best playmaker on offense, the ball out in space. He’s going to make a big-time play with it and defenses have to account for that. So, it helps the team out a lot.”
The Texans want to find more creative ways to get the ball to Collins. Opportunities were missed earlier this season.
“It feels great, man,” Collins said. “Especially a divisional win on the road, it means a lot. And coming off of last week, another divisional win. I feel like for us, we have to continue to take it one game at a time.
“Continuing to stay eyes in front of us and get ready for Buffalo. Short week so got to take care of the bodies and go out there and have fun.”
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com
Holland on Kempe Signing, Kopitar’s Swan Song, Doughty Injury, and Clarke