The Houston Texans have become one of the best teams in the AFC over the last two seasons. They've won the AFC South in each of the last two years, and have also won a playoff game in 2023 and 2024, as well.
One of the biggest reasons why the Texans have taken leaps forward is the duo of quarterback C.J. Stroud and wide receiver Nico Collins. The tandem is so good that they were ranked the No. 3 QB-WR duo in the NFL by PFF.
"Stroud’s 2024 campaign was largely the same as his rookie year in terms of PFF grade (80.4 PFF passing grade in 2023 compared to 77.5 in 2024), and Nico Collins has been his safety blanket," Sikkema writes. "Collins has generated a 117.8 passer rating when targeted over the past two seasons with Stroud, which ranks sixth in the NFL."
Stroud helped unlock the elite tier of Collins' game. Before Stroud was drafted, Collins never had more than 37 catches in a season - he had 80 in his first year with Stroud and is coming off consecutive 1,000 yard seasons with 15 touchdowns across 2023 and 2024. If the Texans are going to take the leap to Super Bowl contenders, this tandem will have to be one of the top reasons why.
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