John Metchie III stepped up in a big way during the Texans' wild card win

The Houston Texans just had a huge victory to kick off the NFL's Super Wild Card Weekend and have put the rest of the AFC on notice thanks to the play of their young playmakers. Rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud was once again exceptional on the biggest stage of his young career throwing for 274 yards […]

Kole Noble Chicago Bears News Writer
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Sep 24, 2023; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Houston Texans wide receiver John Metchie III (8) catches the ball during the warm ups against the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Stadium.
Morgan Tencza-USA TODAY Sports

The Houston Texans just had a huge victory to kick off the NFL's Super Wild Card Weekend and have put the rest of the AFC on notice thanks to the play of their young playmakers.

Rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud was once again exceptional on the biggest stage of his young career throwing for 274 yards and three touchdowns, while wide receiver Nico Collins had another big performance as his number one target hauling in six receptions for 96 yards and one touchdown.

However, another young wide out on the Texans' offense stepped up in a major way on Saturday against the Cleveland Browns.

Second-year wide receiver John Metchie III posted career-highs in receptions (3) and reception yards (44) while adding one carry for nine yards on Saturday against the Browns. The team's former second-round pick in 2022 played a major role in the team's enormous win and you can’t help but feel great for the young player.

Metchie missed his entire rookie campaign after after being diagnosed with leukemia and didn't make his NFL debut until Week 2 of the 2023 season. During the regular season, Metchie had a combined 16 receptions for 158 receiving yards in 16 games while playing behind Collins, rookie Tank Dell, and Noah Brown.

However, Metchie's time to step up in the Texans' offense finally came during the team's Wild Card matchup and he rose to the occasion. The Texans have been without Dell since Week 13 and lost Brown early in the game on Saturday with a shoulder injury.

Metchie's biggest play came last in the first quarter after Stroud had a perfect ball placement to hit a wide open Metchie for a 27-yard completion on the sidelines. The drive later turned into a 15 yard touchdown to Collins giving the Texans a 10-7 lead.

The Texans offense has played at their peak this season when getting production from at least two different wide receivers at the same time. Houston needed Metchie to be that second complementary receiver on Saturday and he stepped up his team.