HOUSTON – John Metchie III generated enough acceleration and explosion in a hurry as he abruptly took his route inside the red zone, creating separation and a preferred passing lane for the quarterback -back CJ Stroud can throw a strike.
The touchdown catch Sunday night while beating Detroit Lions rookie corner Terrion Arnold, another Alabama football alumnus, represented more than a routine score for the Texans wide receiver. It marked a milestone as his first NFL touchdown and Metchie’s first score since tearing his ACL while competing for the Crimson Tide in the Conference Championship Game Southeast 2021.
Years after ringing the bell at MD Anderson Cancer Center to celebrate his inspiring battle with acute promyelocytic leukemia and missing his entire rookie season, the former second-round pick delivered his trademark on a score that was in the making for a long time. Metchie threw his Karate Kid-style crane kick in unison with running back Joe Mixon to soak in the moment.
What Metchie, a former Ed Block Courage Award winner, said he doesn’t think about is also important. His personal medical ordeal is not at the forefront of his mind. It’s behind him and it’s part of his history.
“It means a lot, but not more emotional than anything else,” Metchie said. “I kind of put that behind me and my goal is just to help this team win.” I know that my past is my past and my story is my story. I experience it, but it doesn’t cross my mind every day. I focus on what I could do to be the best version of myself and help the team win.
Although Metchie’s score didn’t translate into a win as the Texans lost their second straight primetime game as the Lions scored 19 unanswered points in the second half of a 26-23 win at NRG Stadium, his contributions provided a spark. He set career highs with five catches for 74 yards and a touchdown on six targets as star receiver Nico Collins was ruled out of the game as a precaution despite being activated from injured reserve.
Moving forward, having Metchie as a factor in the Texans’ passing game could provide a boost to an offense that was stagnant after halftime against Detroit. While Collins is back for a Monday night game against the Dallas Cowboys, Stefon Diggs is out for the season with a torn ACL. The Texans need a reliable third option at receiver after Collins and Tank Delll.
“He did really well,” Stroud said. “A great moment for us. I ran a lot of clean routes, I caught the ball, I’m super proud of him and super happy that he’s getting his opportunities and showing his value.
A former second-round pick, Metchie has nine receptions for 110 yards and just one score this season on 13 targets. He now has 25 career receptions for 268 yards.
Metchie caught 96 receptions for 1,142 yards and eight touchdowns as a junior at Alabama in 2021, but tore a knee ligament in the SEC Championship Game on December 4, 2021. He finished his college career with 155 catches for 2,081 yards and 14 touchdowns.
“Really proud of Metchie,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “He took a big step for us. Got his first touchdown. He made some really big plays for us, I really love the play where he blocks downfield. He played a very good match. I’m excited to see him continue to improve on what he did tonight.
In addition to his 15-yard touchdown, Metchie had a 25-yard reception to set up his score.
“It was awesome,” Metchie said. “God is great, it was just a lot of hard work and trying to be consistent.”
After the touchdown, Metchie didn’t shy away from having fun.
Metchie had a fun moment with receiver Xavier Hutchinson before his exuberant karate chop with Mixon and a special handshake with Stroud. It wasn’t about making the signature move with former Alabama teammate Jameson Williams playing against him for Detroit.
“It wasn’t really a thought,” Metchie said. “It was just part of Joe and I’s handshake. Honestly, I probably did it in practice and throughout training camp and all that. It’s just some handshakes here and there.
Metchie caught 16 passes for 158 yards last season in the regular season. Then he caught three passes for 44 yards in an AFC playoff victory over the Cleveland Browns.
The touchdown was a classic run and soft hands after a few drops during the preseason.
“What stood out about Metchie was just his progression over the last few weeks, just seeing him play with more speed, jumping the football, running his routes, being more decisive in his rushing. route and also just beating man coverage with his feet,” Ryans said “He took the points from coaching, he took them to the field and he executed the right way. plays, particularly important on third down.
“We knew they were going to play aggressive man coverage before the game, so we talked about it all week. You’re going to have to make some competitive catches, and that’s no better play than in the end zone for a touchdown. The defender has his hands in there, but he goes up, aggressive hands, and makes a competitive catch. So, I’m really, really proud of his improvement and the fact that he took coaching and he’s practicing on the field on Sunday.
Taking this game and using it as a springboard for future contributions and, perhaps, an increased role could be in sight for Metchie. He just needs to keep going like this.
“It’s always great to be able to contribute to the offense and help the team score points, help the offense score points, just contribute to winning, and that’s kind of all I want to do ” Metchie said. “I think you just have to do your job when your name is called: ‘Are you ready to do your job when the opportunity presents itself?’ » Honestly, I don’t think I’ve done anything very spectacular outside of my job. I was just where I was supposed to be and making the plays I was supposed to make.
“I think it’s just about controlling what you can control and that’s kind of how I show up every day and use every day to get better. When it comes to the fruits of labor, I think a lot of it is up to God, His timing, and you can’t control anything. What you can do is simply how you show up each day and how you use every 24 hours you have.
SEE ALSO Texans receiver John Metchie III shows patience: ‘I have to be ready every time my number is called’
Metchie had the fight of his life when he battled leukemia. While Metchie wondered if he would ever play football again, he could see where he wanted to go a few miles away at NRG Stadium.
Metchie experienced a range of emotions, including doubt. Ultimately, his faith and determination brought him back to the game and he is working to strengthen his role within the Texans’ offense after spending the year on the non-football illness list.
Metchie is a native of Canada who attended high school in the United States in Maryland and New Jersey before earning a football scholarship to Alabama and whose family originally moved from Ghana, soaking up every moment.
And Metchie inspired his teammates.
“I would say he’s a good teammate,” wide receiver Robert Woods said. “I know he’s younger, but he’s also a role model for me, someone who succeeds and doesn’t let external factors, external struggles, get him down. He is a very positive person. To see him fight cancer and its treatment and be able to bounce back from an early hamstring injury and come back to play, he’s very inspiring to us and hopefully all of Houston as well.
During his medical crisis, Metchie leaned heavily on his faith, his family, his friends, the Texans, Alabama coach Nick Saban, and his former college teammates.
He was initially diagnosed after suffering from cold symptoms and recurring headaches.
According to medical journals, APL is a “unique subtype of acute myeloid leukemia whose bone marrow cells produce blood cells (red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets) that do not grow and function normally. APL begins with one or more acquired changes (mutations) in the DNA of a single hematopoietic cell. APL cells exhibit a very specific abnormality that involves chromosomes 15 and 17, leading to the formation of an abnormal PML/RARα fusion gene. This mutated gene causes many features of the disease.
And Metchie wondered and prayed and thought deeply about many things, including whether he would recover from this medical ordeal. What was going to happen to him? Would he ever regain his health and his old life?
“I guess one answer to that is faith, right? » Metchie said. “One of the most curable forms of cancer, but very hard at first. So I was very lucky and grateful to have one of the most curable forms of cancer. As you saw, I didn’t lose my hair and lots of things like that. So I was very grateful and very blessed for that,
“In these situations, you can only rely on your faith. In situations where you are forced to confront your own mortality, you see what you truly believe in and who you truly believe in. So my faith in God is really what allowed me to believe that this was really the case. all for a greater purpose and a greater reason.
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Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com
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