The Green Bay Packers caught a break as they won’t have to face the NFL’s leading receiver in Week 7. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Houston Texans have placed Nico Collins on injured reserve, forcing him to miss at least four games. The Packers are scheduled to host the Texans at Lambeau Field in less than two weeks.
Collins, who leads the NFL with 567 receiving yards through the first five games, injured his hamstring during the first quarter of last week’s win over the Buffalo Bills. Collins suffered the injury while hauling in a 67-yard touchdown pass from quarterback CJ Stroud.
Last season, Collins emerged as the top receiver in Houston’s 12th-ranked offense, posting career highs in targets, receptions, yards, and touchdowns. He was a third-round pick by the Texans in 2021.
Collins was off to another encouraging start in 2024. Still, Houston poses a significant challenge for Green Bay, as they hold the top spot in the AFC South with a 4-1 record. Now, their top-ranked passing offense will undoubtedly take a hit without Collins.
The Packers must be prepared to stop a familiar foe in Stefon Diggs, who terrorized them over his five seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, as well as Tank Dell, who was among the rookie leaders in catches, yards, and touchdowns last season before getting hurt.
Packers vs. Texans has been a highly anticipated meeting on the NFL calendar since schedules were announced in May. Both teams were popular picks to represent their respective conferences in this year’s Super Bowl after making it to last year’s postseason with first-year starting quarterbacks.
Houston appears to be postseason-bound yet again, though they will have to find a way to maintain their strong air attack without their most valuable weapon.
Meanwhile, the Packers are fortunate not to have a game plan for Collins. Sitting at 3-2, they are still trying to work through some things on both sides of the ball and may need the next couple of games to find their rhythm.
