Overcoming the Odds: John Metchie III Scores His First Career NFL Touchdown

Texans HC DeMeco Ryans ‘Proud’ of WR John Metchie Following First TD, Breakout Game

HOUSTON (AP) – Twenty-three games and three years into an NFL career characterized by overcoming adversity, Houston Texans wide receiver John Metchie III has finally found the end zone for the first time.

Metchie Scores His First Touchdown

Metchie caught a 15-yard touchdown pass from C.J. Stroud, marking his first career score on Sunday night. Despite Houston stumbling to a 26-23 loss against the Detroit Lions, Metchie’s performance brought a smile to head coach DeMeco Ryans.

Coach Ryans Commends Metchie’s Progress

“I’m just really proud of his improvement and how he’s taken the coaching, bringing practice to the field on Sunday,” Ryans said on Tuesday, via the team transcript.

A second-round selection in the 2022 NFL Draft out of Alabama, Metchie missed his entire rookie season due to a leukemia diagnosis. At 24, Metchie has fought his way back to the field, debuting in 2023. However, he only collected 16 receptions for 158 yards with no scores before Sunday. There were speculations that he might be cut before this season, but he has stayed on the roster, though not prominently featured until now.

Metchie’s Breakout Performance

“The thing that stood out about Metchie is just his progression over these past few weeks,” Ryans noted. “Seeing him play with more speed, jumping off the football, running his routes more decisively, and beating man coverage with his feet. He took the practice, he took the coaching points, and he executed the right way. He showed up and made plays, especially 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 there’s no better play made than in the end zone on the touchdown. The defender had his hands in there, but he went up with aggressive hands and made a competitive catch.”

Career-Best Game Against the Lions

Metchie’s first foray into the end zone was just part of his accomplishments against the Lions. He recorded five receptions for a game-high 74 yards, both career bests. With Stefon Diggs out for the season and Nico Collins still recovering from a hamstring injury, it was the perfect opportunity for Metchie to shine.

Houston needed a receiver to step up alongside Tank Dell, and Metchie delivered, turning his arduous NFL journey into one of the league’s feel-good stories with a phenomenal performance.

Looking Forward

While the game ended in a loss, Metchie’s breakout performance signals promising opportunities ahead. “Just keep owning whatever opportunities you get,” Ryans encouraged. “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 you are doing with the opportunities that you get.”