The Houston Texans hosted the Buffalo Bills on Thursday Night Football in Week 12. While he got out to a slow start, the Texans’ lead wide receiver, Nico Collins, had a nice play to help set up a late touchdown in the second quarter.
However, Collins took a big hit on the reception, went down, and would have to go out. Here’s everything to know about the wideout’s status.
What Happened to Houston Texans WR Nico Collins?
Collins had gotten off to a slow start to begin Houston’s Thursday night matchup against the Bills. Before the late reception, the star wideout had only been targeted twice for 36 yards.
After scoring three points in the first quarter, the night was looking long for Houston. However, an interception of Bills quarterback Josh Allen deep in Bills territory set up a field goal. The Bills would respond with a kick return for a touchdown, but the Texans’ offense had finally woken up.
Finding some momentum to close out the second half, Texans QB Davis Mills hit Collins for a 19-yard reception with 51 seconds left in the half to get Houston in Buffalo’s territory. However, Bills safety Cole Bishop laid a massive hit on Collins, which caused the Texans’ WR1 to go down.
#Texans WR Nico Collins took a massive hit and initially stayed up, but fell after a few steps and stayed down. He’s being looked at: pic.twitter.com/tnH3x1KSdB
— Arye Pulli (@AryePulliNFL) November 21, 2025
Thankfully, he was able to come back later in the drive, as he has been the most productive weapon for Houston’s offense, turning three receptions into 55 yards. Collins continues to lead the Texans in receiving with 642 yards and four touchdowns on 49 receptions.
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While the injury to quarterback C.J. Stroud hasn’t been great for the offense as a whole, you wouldn’t know it based on Collins’ production in his absence. In three outings with Mills, Collins has averaged 7.7 receptions and 101 yards per game.
The Texans’ offense has struggled significantly during the 2025 season. According to PFSN’s Offense Impact metric, Houston ranks 25th in the NFL with an impact score of 71. However, Collins is not one of the problems as he ranks as the 19th overall receiver in the NFL with an impact score of 80.1 according to PFSN’s WR Impact metric.
While the issue arises occasionally, Houston’s dominant defense, ranked 2nd in the league according to PFSN’s Defense Impact metric, keeps the Texans in games. If Houston wants to make a significant playoff run, the issues on offense have to be addressed.
Editor’s Note: This is a breaking news story and will be updated throughout the day as more information becomes available.
