Twenty-three games and three years into an NFL career that's been an example of overcoming adversity, Houston Texans wide receiver John Metchie III found his way into the end zone for the very first time.
Metchie hauled in a 15-yard touchdown pass from C.J. Stroud for his first career score on Sunday night.
Though Houston stumbled and lost, 26-23, to the Detroit Lions, Metchie still had head coach DeMeco Ryans smiling.
"I'm just really proud of just his improvement and him taking the coaching, taking the practice to the field on Sunday," Ryans said Tuesday, via team transcript.
A 2022 NFL Draft second-round selection out of Alabama, Metchie missed all of his rookie season following a leukemia diagnosis. Metchie, 24, endured and fought his way back to the field, debuting in 2023, but collecting just 16 receptions for 158 yards and no scores. There was thought he might be a cut candidate ahead of this season, but he's remained on the roster, though he's hardly been a prominent figure. That changed in a big way in prime time on Sunday.
"The thing that stood out about Metchie is just his progression over these past few weeks, just seeing him play with more speed, jumping off the football, running his routes, being more decisive with his route running, and also just beating man coverage with his feet," Ryans said. "He took the practice, he took the coaching points, he took it to the field, and he executed the right way. He showed up and made plays, especially big on third down. We knew they would play aggressive man coverage going into the game, so we talked about it all week. You're going to have to make competitive catches, and that's no better play made than in the end zone on the touchdown. The defender has his hands in there, but he goes up, aggressive hands, and makes a competitive catch."
Metchie's first foray into the end zone was hardly his only accomplishment against the Lions, as he turned in the finest game of his career so far. He recorded five receptions for a game-high 74 yards, both numbers career bests.
There was no Stefon Diggs, who is out for the season. And despite some pregame hope, there was still no Nico Collins, who remains on the comeback trail from a hamstring injury. It was the perfect opportunity for Metchie to shine.
Houston needed a receiver to step up on Sunday alongside Tank Dell. Metchie did that, one of the league's feel-good stories having a phenomenal showing with his long and arduous NFL road making his performance all the more sterling.
It was soured by the loss, but Metchie finally had his breakout game and there's no reason to believe he won't have ample opportunity ahead.
"Just keep owning whatever opportunities you get," Ryans said. "That's what it's all about. Whatever the opportunity is, it's just about maximizing that opportunity. It doesn't matter how many it is, it's what are you doing with the ops that you get."
