Former Clay-Chalkville High School standout Nico Collins entered Sunday’s Houston Texans game against the Jacksonville Jaguars as the NFL leader in receiving yards, and he didn’t do anything to hurt his hold on the top spot.
In the Texans’ 24-20 AFC South victory, Collins had 12 receptions for 151 yards and one touchdown. With 30 receptions for 489 yards and two touchdowns, Collins came out of Sunday’s game with 103 more receiving yards than any other player in the NFL in the 2024 season.
Collins’ third 100-yard game of 2024 also was the fourth of his career with at least 150 receiving yards as he set a career high for receptions in a game.
Collins caught a 3-yard touchdown pass from quarterback C.J. Stroud as Houston took a 14-10 lead with 7:19 left in the first half.
On the Texans’ drive to the winning touchdown with 18 seconds to play, Collins had receptions for 26 and 6 yards.
Collins was among the 29 players from Alabama high schools and colleges (excluding Alabama and Auburn) who got on the field on the fourth Sunday of the NFL’s 105th season.
Six other former state players were involved in the Jacksonville-Houston game:
· Jaguars defensive end DJ Coleman (Jacksonville State) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
· Texans wide receiver Tank Dell (Alabama A&M) was designated as a game-day inactive. A chest injury kept Dell out of practice over the past week.
· Josh Hines-Allen (Abbeville) started at defensive end for the Jaguars. Hines-Allen made three tackles and registered two quarterback hits. He left the game to be evaluated for a concussion.
· Tytus Howard (Monroe County, Alabama State) started at left offensive tackle for the Texans.
· Kamari Lassiter (American Christian) started at cornerback for the Texans. Lassiter had six tackles to tie for the lead for the Houston defense and recorded one tackle for loss.
· Texans safety Jimmie Ward (Davidson) was designated as a game-day inactive. A groin injury sidelined Ward.
In the other Sunday games:
Atlanta Falcons 26, New Orleans Saints 24
· Darnell Mooney (Gadsden City) started at wide receiver for the Falcons. Mooney had three receptions for 56 yards, including a 36-yarder that got Atlanta off its 10-yard line and on the way to a third-quarter field goal. Mooney also drew a 30-yard defensive pass interference penalty with 23 seconds remaining that moved the Falcons to the New Orleans 40-yard line, and Atlanta got the game-winning field goal from there.
· Falcons linebacker Monty Rice (James Clemens) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Cincinnati Bengals 34, Carolina Panthers 24
· Michael Jackson (Spain Park) started at cornerback for the Panthers. Jackson made two tackles and broke up one pass.
· Bengals defensive end Cedric Johnson (Davidson) did not record any stats.
· Panthers tight end Jordan Matthews (Madison Academy) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
· Bengals kicker Evan McPherson (Fort Payne) made four extra points and field goals of 56 and 46 yards. The 46-yarder gave Cincinnati a two-score lead with 1:14 to play. There have been seven field goals of 56 or more yards in Bengals history. McPherson has five of them, including a franchise-record 59-yarder in a 23-20 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sept. 11, 2022.
· Cam Taylor-Britt (Park Crossing) started at cornerback for the Bengals. Taylor-Britt made two tackles and broke up one pass.
Chicago Bears 24, Los Angeles Rams 18
· Bears defensive tackle Travis Bell (Jeff Davis) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
· Bears fullback Khari Blasingame (Buckhorn) was designated as a game-day inactive.
· Bears tight end Gerald Everett (UAB/South Alabama) did not record any stats.
· Bears wide receiver Velus Jones Jr. (Saraland) was designated as a game-day inactive.
· Bears cornerback Reddy Steward (Austin, Troy) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
· Rams cornerback Darious Williams (UAB) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
Minnesota Vikings 31, Green Bay Packers 29
· Vikings defensive back Bobby McCain (Oxford) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
· Vikings quarterback Nick Mullens (Spain Park) dressed for the game but did not play.
· Packers offensive tackle Kadeem Telfort (UAB) did not record any stats.
Indianapolis Colts 27, Pittsburgh Steelers 24
· Steelers linebacker Jeremiah Moon (Hoover) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
· George Pickens (Hoover) started at wide receiver for the Steelers. Pickens had seven receptions for 113 yards. The sixth 100-yard game of Pickens’ career was his first of the 2024 season.
· Steelers punter Corliss Waitman (South Alabama) averaged 34.3 yards on three punts, with a 32.7-yard net. Waitman had a 27-yard punt for a fair catch at the Indianapolis 14-yard line, a 40-yarder returned 5 yards to the Indianapolis 28 and a 36-yarder for a fair catch at the Indianapolis 12.
· Steelers wide receiver Quez Watkins (Athens) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Denver Broncos 10, New York Jets 9
· Broncos cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine (Spanish Fort) was designated as a game-day inactive.
· Broncos linebacker Kwon Alexander (Oxford) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
· Broncos linebacker Zach Cunningham (Pinson Valley) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
· Broncos cornerback Tremon Smith (Saks) made one tackle on special teams.
· Quincy Williams (Wenonah) started at linebacker for the Jets. Williams made seven tackles, recorded two tackles for loss and forced one fumble. New York recovered the fumble at the Denver 34-yard line and got a field goal out of the field position for the first points of the game.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 33, Philadelphia Eagles 16
· Reed Blankenship (West Limestone) started at safety for the Eagles. Blankenship made five tackles and broke up one pass. He left the game early because of illness.
· Eagles defensive back James Bradberry (Pleasant Grove, Samford) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
· Eagles defensive end Bryce Huff (St. Paul’s Episcopal) made one tackle.
· Buccaneers cornerback Keenan Isaac (Midfield, Alabama State) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Washington Commanders 42, Arizona Cardinals 14
· Cardinals wide receiver Tejhaun Palmer (UAB) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
· Commanders safety Jeremy Reaves (South Alabama) did not record any stats.
· Commanders offensive tackle Trent Scott (Lee-Huntsville) did not record any stats.
· Starling Thomas V (Ramsay, UAB) started at cornerback for the Cardinals. Thomas made two tackles and broke up one pass.
San Francisco 49ers 30, New England Patriots 13
· Patriots center Jake Andrews (Stanhope Elmore, Troy) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
· Forty-Niners offensive tackle Chris Hubbard (UAB) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
· Marcus Jones (Enterprise, Troy) started at cornerback for the Patriots. Jones made two tackles and returned three punts for 39 yards.
· Forty-Niners cornerback Darrell Luter Jr. (South Alabama) was designated as a game-day inactive.
· Patriots safety Dell Pettus (Sparkman, Troy) did not record any stats.
Kansas City Chiefs 17, Los Angeles Chargers 10
· Chargers safety A.J. Finley (St. Paul’s Episcopal) made two tackles.
· Chiefs wide receiver Justyn Ross (Central-Phenix City) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
· Chargers running back Kimani Vidal (Troy) was designated as a game-day inactive.
· Chiefs wide receiver Montrell Washington (Samford) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Cleveland Browns 20, Las Vegas Raiders 16
· Raiders running back Ameer Abdullah (Homewood) made three tackles on special teams.
· Jakorian Bennett (McGill-Toolen) started at cornerback for the Raiders. Bennett made three tackles and broke up one pass.
· Raiders quarterback Carter Bradley (South Alabama) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
· Browns linebacker Mohamoud Diabate (Auburn High) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
· Browns safety Chris Edmonds (Samford) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
· Za’Darius Smith (Greenville) started at defensive end for the Browns. Smith made three tackles.
· Browns wide receiver Kadarius Toney (Blount) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
· Browns linebacker Nathaniel Watson (Maplesville) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
· Browns quarterback Jameis Winston (Hueytown) dressed but did not play.
· Browns defensive end Alex Wright (Elba, UAB) made one tackle.
Baltimore Ravens 35, Buffalo Bills 10
· Ravens wide receiver Malik Cunningham (Park Crossing) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
· Bills defensive tackle Tylan Grable (Jacksonville State) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
· Bills linebacker Nicholas Morrow (Huntsville) made one tackle.
· Ravens nose tackle Michael Pierce (Daphne, Samford) was designated as a game-day inactive. A shoulder injury sidelined Pierce.
· Bills defensive end Javon Solomon (Troy) registered one quarterback hit and made one tackle on special teams.
Week 4 started on Thursday night, when the Dallas Cowboys defeated the New York Giants 20-15.
Week 4 concludes on Monday, when the Tennessee Titans and the Miami Dolphins square off at 6:30 p.m. CDT at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, and the Seattle Seahawks and the Detroit Lions meet at 7:15 p.m. at Ford Field in Detroit. ESPN will televise the Titans-Dolphins game. ABC will televise the Seahawks-Lions games.
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.
