John McClain, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Texas Sports Hall of Fame, is in his 48th year of covering the NFL in Houston, including 45 seasons at the Houston Chronicle.
In their first season of playing together, quarterback C.J. Stroud and wide receiver Nico Collins became one of the NFL's most prolific pass-catch combinations in the NFL. This season, they're taking that productivity to a whole new level.
During this season's 3-1 start, Stroud and Collins have become the league's most dangerous duo. Going into Sunday's game against Buffalo at NRG Stadium, Collins has 30 catches for 489 yards and two touchdowns. He has 103 more yards than the Giants' Malik Nabors, who's second with 386 yards on 35 receptions.
Collins is on a record pace for 128 catches for 2,078 yards and nine touchdowns.
"It's no surprise to me what Nico's done because he's one of the hardest workers on our team," Head Coach DeMeco Ryans said this week. "(He) shows up every day ready to work, and it shows up in the game.
"We're always looking for the explosive (plays), and C.J. and Nico have connected on a lot of those. Anytime you get an explosive play, you're setting yourself up to score points."
Stroud and Collins collaborated on two of the team's seven explosive plays in Sunday's 24-20 victory over the Jaguars. On the nine-play, 69-yard, game-winning drive that started with 2:54 left and ended with 18 seconds remaining, they connected for 26- and 6-yard receptions, both producing first downs.
On that game-winning drive, Stroud completed 5-of-5 passes for 45 yards and ran twice for 12 yards. He threw a 1-yard pass to Dare Ogunbowale for the decisive touchdown.
"C.J. is special," Collins said. "We had to dig deep and really put our minds to it. We were backed up, down by three, and we needed a touchdown. In that huddle, we're talking to each other like, 'Man, let's go. This is what we train for. This is what we're practicing every day straining for out there in the heat.' In these moments, it's easy. (We're) out there balling.
"It's one of those situations where you know what the team needs. We wanted to put points on the board, but we can't go out there acting crazy. Move the sticks. After every play, we were in the huddle like, 'Just breathe, one play at a time, and keep stacking.' And that's what we did."
And that's what Stroud and Collins have been doing since 2023 when the quarterback was a rookie and the receiver was entering his third season.
Collins had a breakout season playing with Stroud for the first time. Despite missing two games because of an injury, he caught 80 passes for 1,297 yards (16.2 average) and eight touchdowns.
"He's grown a lot," Stroud said about Collins. "I think he just needed an opportunity. I think Nico's been great since he's been born. I know Nico will be great for a long time. As he continues to grow, he's going to continue to get better and better."
Stroud pointed out how well Collins has been coached by Ben McDaniels. He's in his fourth season as the receivers coach, and last year the Texans added passing game coordinator to his title. McDaniels was the quarterback coach under Jim Harbaugh when Collins played at Michigan, so they have a seven-year relationship.
"I think Ben has done a great job helping Nico along the way, learning about route running and how serious you've got to be to take the game from Sunday all the way to Saturday (and) how hard you've got to prepare," Stroud said. "I think Ben has helped him do that.
"Nico's been big for us. He comes up to me, like, 'Hey, you good? You know you are.' He always gives me confidence just like I give (confidence) to him because he's a heck of a player. I'm super-proud of him. He's always somebody I lean on whenever I'm just looking down the field."
The Stroud-Collins on-field relationship continues to be so impressive it's almost baffling. Collins continues to get open even though he draws a lot of double coverage or goes against zones designed to keep him from breaking away, but he still averages 16.3 yards a carry.
Stroud's rating is 113.5 when targeting Collins compared to 98.4 overall.
Last season, Stroud's rating was 129.6 when targeting Collins. He had 549 yards after the catch (YAC) and has 171 this season, putting him on a pace for 727.
"Whenever the ball's in the air, go get it (and) it's yours," Collins said about his philosophy of receiving. "You've got to be aggressive at the catch point, aggressive hands, and I just go get it. That's my mindset every time. Your opportunity comes, and you never know when the next one's going to come. Move the sticks for the team."
Collins is terrific at moving the sticks. His 30 receptions have resulted in 25 first downs. He's an exceptional route runner, and he's fearless when going over the middle. He's got strong, quick hands, and at 6-4, 222, he breaks tackles. He's proven tough to bring down, and one defender usually has trouble getting him on the ground.
"Whenever you step between the lines, it's what you live for," Collins said. "It really comes down to how much you want it, the details and how you continue to strain. It really comes down to your preparation, how to take care of your body, and going out there and having fun. I feel like that's what I'm doing right now, having fun, being there for my team.
"I'm not thinking about the numbers. I want to be healthy and available and let the rest be the rest and thank God for everything."
When the Texans face a difficult situation, Stroud usually looks for Collins first. When Stroud has to make off-schedule plays, Collins makes adjustments on his routes, and Stroud usually locates him and gets him the ball. They have an uncanny rapport. It's almost like they communicate through telepathy.
"It's grown," Stroud said about his rapport with Collins. "When I first met Nico during OTAs, I told him, 'You're a superstar, and I'm going to make sure people know that.' I feel like ever since then, he's had a swagger and a confidence, and it's just rolling now.
"It's kind of crazy because we worked on that (starting) last year, just trying to get that down. Nico's quick on his feet. That's where I feel like I could have elevated my game. He was there traveling down the field. It's just offense, and Nico's at the forefront of that."
Collins is on a path to be mentioned with Andre Johnson and DeAndre Hopkins, the greatest receivers in team history.
"That's huge with all the great receivers we have coming through this Texans' organization, and I'm very happy to be a part of his journey," Stroud said.
When plays break down and Collins makes adjustments and Stroud looks for him, it's be design, not something that happens haphazardly.
"We work scrimmage drills (and) off-schedule plays every day in practice," Collins said. "You really don't know where he's looking, you just try to find the open void.
"CJ's a playmaker. He's going to make a play. We put our trust in him, and he trusts us. He's the type of guy that's going to extend the play, always looking downfield, so I feel like the play's never over. He's always going to find that void and that hole. He's going to find you."
Collins is getting leaguewide praise for his performance. The Texans need for him to put on a show against the Bills to pull out a victory. With so much of the pre-game attention directed at Stefon Diggs, his time with Buffalo and his relationship with quarterback Josh Allen, the Bills know who Stroud's favorite receiver is and who's likely to do the most damage.
"It (praise) doesn't feel real," Collins said. "Those type of achievements you want to have. It's early, but it's a great position to be in right now (but) it's a long season. I've got to find ways to be available. Finding ways whenever my number's called and make a play for the team.
"That's what I've been doing -- going out there with my brothers between the lines. There's no better feeling than going to war with them. My standard is continuing to be me, continue to submerge in the deep end, block out distractions (and) find the things I need to work on, which is everything. I feel like there's always room for improvement. Don't get too comfortable. Take care of my body, be available for the team (and) let all the pieces fall into place."
So far, those pieces have fallen into first place in the AFC South. If the Texans want to be known as a bona-fide Super Bowl contender, defeating Buffalo would go a long way into justifying that reputation.
