The CJ Stroud to Nico Collins connection in Houston is something special
Since making his NFL debut just a little over a year ago, Houston Texans quarterback CJ Stroud has drawn rave reviews from just about everyone in the media whose opinion is worth listening to. And now that six-time Super Bowl winning head coach Bill Belichick is officially a member of the NFL media — at least until he returns to the sideline in 2025 — you can add his name to the list of Stroud supporters. In a strange twist, you can also now follow Bill Belichick on “Instaface,” but that's another story.
Last Sunday, the Texans faced a crucial 3rd and 11 late in the game as they attempted to lock up a 29-27 win over the Indianapolis Colts in an opening week AFC South showdown. In order to do so, the Texans called on their rookie quarterback to deliver as he had so many times during his rookie season, and naturally, Stroud didn't disappoint, delivering a dart into an impossibly tight window to receiver Nico Collins, who managed to snag the catch and get a knee down in bounds, all but sealing Houston's win.
Days after the game, Bill Belichick was still raving about this completion on Inside The NFL. The future Hall of Fame coach even nominated Stroud's dime as an early candidate for “best throw of the year.”
Bill Belichick from Inside The NFL on the last pass of the game from #Texans QB C.J. Stroud on 3rd & 11 vs Colts, “I’ll put that down as the best throw of the year, let’s see what else happens this year…that was a helluva throw.”
— Adam Wexler (@AdamJWexler) September 14, 2024
(Sounds like me this wk talking about that pass) pic.twitter.com/6xkzdPs4MP
Of course, the throw from CJ Stroud is only half of the story here, because even after squeezing that ball into a tight window, it required Nico Collins to make a ridiculous catch along the sideline.
CJ Stroud, Texans heap praise on Nico Collins
After the game, both CJ Stroud and Texans coach DeMeco Ryans were eager to give Collins the credit he deserved.
“We love those type of moments, like gotta have it, need it right here,” Stroud said, according to Sam Warren of the Houston Chronicle. “He did a great job of just securing the catch. I tried to put it in a spot where he could get it.”
“What a play,” Ryans said. “What an awesome catch for him to get down inbounds. It was really big-time.”
Nico Collins has made a habit of making big-time plays for the Texans, especially against the Colts. Last year in a win-and-in season finale in Indianapolis, Collins shined, making nine catches for 195 yards and a touchdown in a win that sent Houston to the Playoffs for the first time since 2019. Collins finished the season with career highs in receptions (80), yards (1,297) and touchdowns (8).
What goes into this newfound dominance? For Nico Collins, it's all about the mindset.
“I feel like every ball in the air is mine,” Collins said.
