Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud always knew there was something special about wide receiver John Metchie III from the moment they first met — his desire "to be great." And during a Wild Card contest against the Cleveland Browns Saturday afternoon, Stroud's first impression transpired into a 45-14 victory at NRG Stadium.
"Somebody who reminds me of the type of attitude and swag we walked around with at Ohio State, like, ‘Man, we can’t be messed with,'" Stroud said. "'Nobody can be on this field with us and even touch us.’ He walks around with that swag that I remember from my receiver room back in college, and I think everybody in our room now has it."
Metchie gave the Texans wide receiving unit a boost once Noah Brown exited the first quarter with a season-ending shoulder injury.
He finished with a career-best three catches for 44 yards while adding nine yards on one rushing attempt. Metchie's best play came midway through the first quarter, where he recorded a 27-yard reception from Stroud. Their connection helped the Texans on a drive that ended with Houston taking an early 10-7 lead.
Metchie's impact against the Browns was a long-awaited moment following the delayed start to his pro career. He has had a rollercoaster of a season in his first full year of football since his junior year at Alabama. Metchie has dealt with a handful of nagging injuries and instances where consistent snaps may have been hard to obtain.
But since training camp, Metchie said patience had been the key to overcoming the daunting challenges of his personal life, which remained as the trait that guided him through his first full season with the Texans.
"I’m really proud of him for his journey and all that he’s been through," coach DeMeco Ryans said. "No one’s been through it tougher than him. For him to show the resolve to continue to push, continue to fight to get better at his craft, day in and day out. Nobody works harder on their craft than Metchie and it was good to see the success come from it in our first playoff game."
Offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik described Metchie's performance against the Browns as "an inspiration." His production has boosted his confidence ahead of the Texans' Divisional Round contest against the Baltimore Ravens.
Houston will rely upon Metchie's talents at M&T Bank Stadium in hopes of knocking off the top-seeded Ravens en route to the franchise's first conference championship appearance in team history.
Metchie's potential impact against the Ravens could lead to the next step of the former Alabama prospect reaching his desire to be great.
"He never stops. It’s constant how he’s trying to work, how he’s trying to grow, and it was really awesome to see that bear some fruit there in the game on Saturday," Slowik said. "That was a big-time play he made down on the sidelines... What he has done for this team, I think a lot of people have noticed, it’s really been an inspiration to all of us."
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