There has to be a certain level of trust between a quarterback and a receiver. There has to be timing. There has to be chemistry.
These are all intangibles to creating that dynamic duo for an offensive unit.
For Texans third-year receiver Nico Collins, he and rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud quickly showed their connection was a strong one early in the season when the two connected for 146 yards and a score on seven catches in Week 2 against Indianapolis.
In Week 12 against Jacksonville, it was once again Collins leading the way with seven grabs for 104 yards and a score.
"I feel like it's been throughout the whole season," Collins, who has a team-leading 800 yards receiving this season, said about their connection. "Just continue to grow, continue to trust each other and we still continue to do that right now. Continue to build trust with one another, continue to find what works for us man and chase that."
Sunday marked Collins' third 100-yard receiving performance of the season and his NFL career. Prior to this year, Collins had no 100-yard receiving games through 24 career games.
With Stroud at signal-caller, Collins has games of 146, 168 and 104 through 10 contests, averaging 80 receiving yards per game and 16 yards per grab.
"It comes down to the work we put in in the offseason, throughout the season, throughout practices, games like this," Collins said about their connection. "Just continue to grow each and every week. Continue to watch the film and build the chemistry."
