Don’t Mess With Nico Collins — This Texans Leader Shows He’s a Top 5 Receiver In the Entire NFL On a Goodnight Moon Sunday Night For Bears QB Caleb Williams

Nico Collins swears he saw a full moon. Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams spent a lot of time looking up at the Houston night sky through the open roof of NRG Stadium too. But Williams probably noticed more stars while getting laid flat by DeMeco Ryans’ relentlessly physical Texans defense again and again. On a night when Houston made a roaring return to the NFL’s showcase Sunday Night Football viewing window for the first time in five years, these two different experiences say as much as anything.

“The atmosphere was amazing,” Collins says after the Texans’ 19-13 win. “Especially that fourth quarter when I seen all the lights, roof open. . . It was nice. I think it was a full moon too. Did you see that moon?”

Yes, Nico Collins took time to notice the moon while torching a Chicago Bears defense that otherwise largely kept the Texans’ offense in check. In catching eight passes for 135 yards and a touchdown, accounting for more than half of quarterback C.J. Stroud’s 260 passing yards overall, Collins shows that he is rapidly on his way to becoming one of the top five receivers in the NFL.

It’s not just that Collins leads the league in receiving yards after two games (252 on 14 catches, giving him 52 more yards than the man in second place Chris Godwin heading into the Monday Night Football Week 2 concluding game). It is the way the fourth year wideout is doing it. By taking names and delivering his own form of punishment.

Just ask Bears defensive back Tyrique Stevenson who pokes his fingers in Collins’ face mask like a toddler who’s never learned to keep his hands to himself. That draws an unsportsmanlike penalty on Collins when the Texans receiver shoves Stevenson’s helmet back in retaliation. But even though his bait job costs Houston’s offense 15 yards, it turns out about as well for Stevenson as it usually does for one of those foolish zoo visitors who stick their hands into a lion’s cage.

For on the very next play, Collins shrugs off another push on his helmet from Tyrique Stevenson (one that does draw an illegal use of the hands penalty) and cleanly beats the cornerback for a 28-yard touchdown, shredding any help in the process. On second-and-24.

Even Jack Reacher doesn’t take over a town with this much force.

“I seen Nico walking in and I could tell he was ready to go off already man,” Texans defensive end Will Anderson Jr. says. “He just had that type of swag and demeanor to him. It’s like nobody can mess with him.

“That’s just something that he carries around with him.”

Wearing a red vintage back-to-back Houston Rockets’ championship hat backwards as he answers questions from the reporters crowded around his locker, Nico Collins is a man in complete control. Talking full moons and full fools.

“He out there talking noise,” Collins says of Stevenson. “They’re trying to get under your skin. But I’m not going for it. Nah. You’re not about to put your finger in my face and think. . .You got me messed up. I ain’t one of them.”

Nico Collins took time to notice the moon while torching the Chicago Bears defense. In catching eight passes for 135 yards and a touchdown, accounting for more than half of C.J. Stroud’s 260 passing yards overall, Collins shows that he is rapidly on his way to becoming one of the top five receivers in the entire NFL.

Nico Collins Shows Andre Johnson Fire

At least, Tyrique Stevenson avoiding taking an Andre Johnson on Cortland Finnegan type beating. Nico Collins possesses some of the don’t-mess-with fire of the Texans’ Hall of Fame receiver gold standard though. And this is a Sunday night where all the echoes belong as this very new era Houston team continues to make its own mark on a city that’s fallen absolutely in love with Stroud, Nico, DeMeco, Anderson and almost everyone else on the roster. Including the increasingly bionic kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn, who is starting to make 55-yard field goals seem routine.

Having the NRG Stadium roof open adds to the stage-like feel of this Sunday Night Football showcase with the field lit up and the stands largely dark. Until those Taylor Swift light-up bracelets come to life. Houston Texans president Greg Grissom and the entire stadium operations and marketing staff deserve plenty of credit for making the most of this showcase prime time moment.

It turns out Houston is more than ready to be the center of the NFL universe. Sunday Night Special.

The Texans defense certainly is. This unit swarms Caleb Williams like a nest of wasps that have seen their home disturbed. There really is nowhere for the No. 1 overall draft pick quarterback from USC to find solace. Not under these Sunday Night Lights. Not with Will Anderson, Danielle Hunter, Henry To’o’To’o, Azeez Al-Shaair, Jalen Pitre, Derek Stingley Jr. and Kamari Lassiter seemingly competing to see who can make the biggest play. And deliver the biggest hit.

Williams finds himself sacked seven times and hit officially 11 times. It’s certainly not a chill Goodnight Moon type of evening for this quarterback. Williams even makes the mistake of not sliding out of bounds with Al-Shaair tracking him like a heat seeking at one point. The Bears rookie doesn’t do that again.

“Later on in the game he slid and I was giving him a hard time,” Al-Shaair says. “Like ‘Alright now.’ I think he’s learning.”

DeMeco Ryans’ Cult of Playmakers

A lot of quarterbacks figure to get lessons from this fast, crunching Texans defense this season. This is a cult of playmakers. All bruising hitters welcome.

“Pitre,” Will Anderson says when ESPN radio’s Paul Gallant asks him which Texans delivered the biggest hit of this Sunday night. “He has a condo in the trenches man. He likes to visit down there every now and then. We let him come down there and hang out there, man. Stuff like that. So we love him.”

Anderson flashes a grin, more pumped to talk about Pitre and Nico’s big plays than his own.

“I seen Nico walking in and I could tell he was ready to go off already man. He just had that type of swag and demeanor to him. It’s like nobody can mess with him.” — Texans defensive end Will Anderson Jr.

The Texans are 2-0 with every other team in the AFC South 0-2 and their offense, a strength whenever you have C.J. Stroud at quarterback, is still largely trying to find its way. Houston still needs to come up with ways to get Tank Dell more opportunities, even with offensive coordinator’s Bobby Slowik wrinkle of handing the ball off directly to the 5-foot-8 big play maker from UH a few times.

One thing that will not change as this Slowik offense gets better at incorporating its new pieces while still making the most of the stand-bys is Nico Collins’ lifeline importance to it. This Michigan Man is more than a big receiver with a big heart. He’s becoming a big leader for one of the NFL’s true rising teams too.

Second year receiver Xavier Hutchinson essentially credits Collins with him making the team. That’s how much Hutchinson feels he’s learned from the Texans’ No. 1 wideout.

“I look at Nico kind of like a big brother to be honest with you,” Hutchinson tells PaperCity. “When we’re in this facility and even out of this facility. Just the amount of help that he’s given me. Even when it comes to reassurance, confidence. He believes in me probably just as much as he believes in himself to be honest.

“And that’s huge. Twelve’s my guy.”

Collins is becoming one of the receiver guys in the NFL. Period. CBS Sports ranking Nico Collins as only the 19th best receiver in the NFL coming into this season is looking more and more silly by the game.

“Nico has just shown up these first two weeks and made some big-time plays for us,” DeMeco Ryans says.

Sunday Night Special. And then some. In Houston.

“We want H-Town to mean something,” Will Anderson says. “We really want the fans to be part of something great.”

No. 12 is certainly reaching for it.

Goodnight Moon, Goodnight Bears. Goodnight doubters everywhere.