Nico Collins’ first career touchdown catch wasn’t even supposed to happen.
However, fellow third-round rookie, quarterback Davis Mills, trusted Collins enough to beat his man and catch a 13-yard touchdown to drive a nail into the Los Angeles Chargers’ coffin as the Houston Texans ultimately prevailed 41-29 Sunday afternoon in Week 16 at NRG Stadium.
“It was a great feeling,” Collins told reporters on Monday. “I’ve been waiting all year for it. It happened at the right time. It came down to the week of preparation. It just came down to the perfect timing.”
Collins finished the game with three catches for 33 yards and a score. On the season, the former Michigan Wolverine, who opted out of the 2020 campaign, his final year in college, has caught 28 passes for 344 yards and a touchdown.
“Mills found me on a slant, great matchup,” said Collins. “He trusted me, coaches trusted me and I went out and made a play for the team.”
Collins isn’t content to go into the offseason celebrating his lone touchdown. With two games to go in Houston’s infertile campaign that will not yield playoff qualification for the second straight year, Collins wants to continue making an impact in the passing game.
“I’m real hungry for it,” Collins said. “It’s a great feeling, I want to continue feeling that feeling. But again, I’m still improving and getting better, still growing, still working on my game and still trying to find ways to help out our team.”
The Texans take on the San Francisco 49ers in Week 17 at Levi’s Stadium, which will present another opportunity for Collins to have that feeling once more.