Well, at least Nico Collins showed up for the Houston Texans early and late.
Collins, who missed the past two games with a hamstring injury, certainly wasted little time getting back in a groove Sunday as the Texans fell to 0-4 behind a 34-30 loss to the Dallas Cowboys
. Offensively, he and C.J. Stroud were the two constants that kept momentum in their favor from the early jump and then late in the fourth quarter.On the opening play Sunday afternoon, Collins streaked past a pair of Cowboys defenders for a pickup of 45 yards. Six plays later, he'd get the Texans on the board with a 7-yard touchdown pass from Stroud, securing his second touchdown reception in as many games.
Throughout Sunday's loss, Collins found ways to get open. He caught four
passes for gains of over 10 yards, including one for 13 to eventually set up a 1-yard touchdown run from Woody Marks in the fourth quater.
In the third quarter, Stroud and Collins connected a second time in the end zone, this one from 22 yards out to retake a 10-point lead. Overall, Collins finished with seven catches for 118 yards and two touchdowns.
1 and 2 gotta equal 6 somewhere
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) October 4, 2026
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Dallas was eventually forced to play double coverage in hopes of slowing him down. All it did was open up more targets. Jaylin Noel caught three passes for 85 yards, including a 52-yard strike in the second quarter to set up a field goal from Ka'imi Fairbairn. Xavier Hutchinson totaled three catches for 46 yards and helped Houston reach the end zone on the final offensive drive.
So even when Collins wasn't taking the ball, he was making plays.
First on the board just like '02
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) October 4, 2026
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For that reason, he's the Texans Wire's Week 4 Player of the Game, joining Stroud and defensive end Will Anderson Jr., who has won the honor twice.
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Texans Wire's Player of the Game: WR Nico Collins
