
Houston Texans wide receiver Xavier Hutchinson is celebrating after finding the end zone for the first time in his three-year career.
Hutchinson scored two touchdowns in the first half of the Texans' 44-10 blowout victory against the Baltimore Ravens on the road. He spoke about how it felt scoring his first NFL touchdown.
“First one, I was super nervous," Hutchinson said. "I knew I was wide open, and it’s always the ones when you’re wide open that you’re a little nervous [about]. But once I caught the ball, it was kind of over with."
"I kind of blacked out a little bit. I had to do my little dance I’ve been preparing for three years now, and it just felt good. My second touchdown felt natural, and you start to just think I can go get another one.”
Hutchinson went 36 career games without a touchdown to start his career, but the sixth-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft out of Iowa State ended that drought in a big way against the Ravens. Now that he knows how it feels to score a touchdown, Hutchinson hopes to make it a pattern.
“It felt good, man. I was joking around with the guys earlier this week that it felt like, you know, me and the end zone were allergic to each other. So, to get it today, it felt great. It’s all glory to these guys in the locker room, who just keep the confidence in our teammates," Hutchinson said.
The Texans drafted Hutchinson the same year DeMeco Ryans became the head coach. He has seen his growth firsthand over the years and the Week 5 win was a culmination of his hard work.
“‘[Xavier Hutchinson] is the guy who has shown what hard work looks like," Ryans said. "You don’t get a lot of credit. He’s getting better in the background. A lot of people don’t see it, but Hutch is one of the hardest working guys on our team."
"There is no better guy to be able to get two touchdowns today than Hutch because he’s worked really hard for us. I’m proud of him for having his moment today.”
The Texans have one of the deepest wide receiver rooms in the league, especially after signing Christian Kirk and drafting Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel on day two of the NFL Draft this spring, so it's easy for players like Hutchinson to get lost in the fray.
However, Hutchinson is proving his worth in the offense, and it is only going to bring on more confidence moving forward.
Hutchinson and the Texans will go into the bye week with momentum, but the hope is that it can continue when the team returns in Week 7 to face the Seattle Seahawks on Monday Night Football.
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