The Houston Texans have a standout trio of wide receivers available for quarterback CJ Stroud. One of them, Nico Collins, is putting himself in a position to set an NFL record.
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Collins has appeared in all four games for the Texans this season. He has caught 30 passes for 489 yards, an average of 16.3 yards per reception. This averages out to 122.25 yards per game.
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If Collins maintains this pace through all 17 games, he will hit 2,078 receiving yards while shattering the previous NFL record.
No wide receiver has ever topped 2,000 yards in a single season. Hall of Famer Calvin Johnson came the closest to this milestone in 2012 when he caught 122 passes for 1,984 yards and five touchdowns. Megatron averaged 122.8 yards per game while earning his third Pro Bowl nod.
Of course, Johnson set this NFL record during a 16-game season. If he had continued on his pace for a 17th game, he would have reached 2,087 receiving yards.
Cooper Kupp of the Rams is the only other NFL receiver to top 1,900 receiving yards in a single season, which he did after the league moved the regular season to 18 games with one bye week. He averaged 114.5 yards per game as he put up 1,947 yards.
Kupp earned a Pro Bowl nomination for his efforts, but he ultimately played in Super Bowl LVI and caught eight passes for 92 yards and two touchdowns. He was named Super Bowl MVP.
Collins has yet to earn a trip to the Pro Bowl, but he has become a reliable weapon for Stroud and the Texans offense. Just compare his first 24 games in the league to his last 19.
Collins' first two seasons in the NFL featured him working with four different receivers. He posted a combined 927 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
Last season alone he topped those numbers while working with Stroud under center. He reached 1,297 yards and caught eight touchdown passes. Collins averaged 86.5 yards per game. He has since gone on to average 122.25 yards per game as the Texans have posted a record of 3-1.
The Texans now have Tank Dell back after he missed six games last season. The team also has Stefon Diggs in the building and delivering touchdowns. Yet Collins continues to lead this passing attack while showing his chemistry with Stroud.
The expectation is that this productive relationship will continue for the rest of the season, but will it lead to an NFL record?
