Nico Collins didn't waste any time before putting his stamp on the Houston Texans' win over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday afternoon, taking a pass from CJ Stroud to the house from 57 yards out on just the second play of the game for the Texans. It was the fast start that the Texans rode to a 40-20 win over the Cardinals, inching closer to a return to the Playoffs after a sluggish 0-3 start to the season.
But while Collins' first catch of the game kicked off a high-scoring afternoon at NRG Stadium, it was his second reception of the afternoon that propelled the fifth-year wideout into a category that only a pair of franchise legends make up.
With a 24-yard catch halfway through the 4th quarter, Collins has officially topped the 1,000 yard mark for the season, his third straight year reaching this total, making him only the third Texans wide receiver with three consecutive 1,000 yard campaigns.
Andre Johnson (from 2008-10) and DeAndre Hopkins (2017-19) are the only other Texans receivers who have done this, meaning that next season, Nico Collins will have the opportunity to become the only player in franchise history to reach 1,000 yards receiving in four straight seasons.
Including his 3 receptions, 85 yards and receiving touchdown today in Houston's 9th win of the season, Collins now has 64 receptions for 1,001 yards and 5 touchdowns. The 26-year-old currently ranks 7th among all pass-catchers in receiving yards this season, trailing only Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Puka Nacua, George Pickens, Ja'Marr Chase, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Trey McBride, the Cardinals' Pro Bowl tight end who hauled in 12 receptions for 134 yards and 2 touchdowns on Sunday.
Although Collins ended the afternoon as the Texans' leading receiver for the game, it was Dalton Schultz's 9 targets and 8 receptions that paced Houston for the afternoon, helping the veteran tight end inch closer to his single season career highs in both receptions and yards.