Former Indianapolis Colts wide receiver T.Y. Hilton earned the dislike of many Houston Texans fans and players when he declared that NRG Stadium was his “second home” after delivering impressive performances against the Texans’ defense over the years.
If destroying a defense is the requirement for owning a team’s home stadium, then Texans wide receiver Nico Collins holds the key and security code to Lucas Oil Stadium, where the Colts host their home games.
Collins has delivered some of his best performances against the Colts in Indianapolis throughout his career, averaging 139 receiving yards per game since 2023. His standout game was in Week 18 of the 2023 season, when he caught nine passes for 195 yards and a touchdown.
On Sunday, in the Texans’ 20–16 victory over the Colts, it was Collins who stepped up repeatedly in clutch moments, as he has done before. He finished the game with five receptions for 98 yards and scored the first rushing touchdown of his career on a seven-yard reverse play.
“It was a great call,” said Collins after the game about his touchdown run. “Just run the ball great. Coach gave me an opportunity to run it in, and I had to take advantage of it.”
When asked about the actual play call, Collins jokingly replied, “Reverse.”
Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans also liked the play call, as he has said repeatedly during his press conferences for weeks, that the ball should be in the hands of the playmakers on offense.
“That was a nice play,” said Ryans. “Nice play design by (Nick) Caley. Those guys worked that all week, and it was a really cool design, but better execution by the guys who were blocking for Nico (Collins) to allow him to get in the end zone.
“Nico had a couple of plays. We tried to get him the ball a lot. He shows up anytime we need him. He shows up for us and makes plays. That’s what he’s been doing.
With the Texans being one of the hottest teams in the NFL, as they have won four games in a row and are 7-2 in their last nine games after starting the season 0-3, it has been Collins’s play that has helped propel them back into playoff contention, averaging 91.2 yards per game over the last five games.
“It is not easy to close out games in the NFL,” Collins responded when asked about Houston’s ability to win close games. “You have to play all four quarters, no matter what. The way we finished today was great, a great feeling. We were on the road, and Indy (Indianapolis Colts) is a great team, so we know how much this win means.”