Former Clay-Chalkville star Nico Collins started the 2024 season the same way he ended the 2023 regular season: Going deep on the Indianapolis Colts' secondary.

In the final game of the 2023 regular season, Collins had nine receptions for 195 yards and one touchdown as the Houston Texans headed into the playoffs with a 23-19 victory.

On Sunday, Collins had six receptions for 117 yards as the Texans kicked off their 2024 campaign with a 29-27 victory over the Colts.

Collins had a 55-yard reception that put Houston on the Indianapolis 13-yard line. The Colts scored three snaps later to take a 12-9 lead with 11:31 to play in the first half.

In his first two seasons, Collins topped 70 receiving yards in one of his 24 games. Last season, when Collins had 80 receptions for 1,297 yards and eight touchdowns in 15 regular-season games, he had five 100-yard games and three more games with exactly 80 receiving yards. He then totaled 164 yards in two playoff contests.

Collins was among the 38 players from Alabama high schools and colleges (excluding Alabama and Auburn) who got on the field on the first Sunday of the NFL's 105th season.

Four other former state players were involved in the Huston-Indianapolis game:

· Tank Dell (Alabama A&M) started at wide receiver for the Texans. Dell had three receptions for 40 yards and two rushing attempts for 19 yards.

· Tytus Howard (Monroe County, Alabama State) started at right offensive tackle for the Texans.

· Kamari Lassiter (American Christian) started at cornerback for the Texans in his NFL debut. Lassiter joined Houston in the second round of the NFL Draft on April 26. Lassiter made two tackles and broke up one pass.

· Jimmie Ward (Davidson) started at safety for the Texans. Ward made three tackles and broke up one pass.

· Steelers cornerback Zyon Gilbert (Jeff Davis) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.

· Steelers linebacker Jeremiah Moon (Hoover) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.

· Darnell Mooney (Gadsden City) started at wide receiver for the Falcons. Mooney had a 15-yard reception in his first game with Atlanta. He joined the Falcons as a free agent during the offseason.

· George Pickens (Hoover) started at wide receiver for the Steelers. Pickens had six receptions for 85 yards. Four of Pickens' receptions went for first downs, including a 33-yard reception that allowed Chris Boswell to kick a 44-yard field goal on the next snap as time ran out in the first half. Pickens also had a rushing attempt that lost 10 yards.

· Falcons linebacker Monty Rice (James Clemens) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.

· Steelers wide receiver Quez Watkins (Athens) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.

Buffalo Bills 34, Arizona Cardinals 28

· Bills offensive tackle Tylan Grable (Jacksonville State) did not record any stats in his NFL debut.

· Bills linebacker Nicholas Morrow (Huntsville) did not record any stats.

· Cardinals wide receiver Tejhaun Palmer (UAB) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.

· Bills defensive end Javon Solomon (Troy) was designated as a game-day inactive. The rookie did not practice this week because of an oblique injury.

· Starling Thomas V (Ramsay, UAB) started at cornerback for the Cardinals. Thomas made three tackles.

Chicago Bears 24, Tennessee Titans 17

· Bears fullback Khari Blasingame (Buckhorn) did not record any stats.

· Gerald Everett (UAB/South Alabama) started at tight end for the Bears. Everett had one reception that lost 1 yard.

· Bears wide receiver Velus Jones Jr. (Saraland) had an 8-yard reception and 11 yards on two rushing attempts. Jones also muffed a kickoff that Tennessee recovered at the Chicago 23-yard line to set up a field goal.

· Bears cornerback Reddy Steward (Austin, Troy) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.

New England Patriots 16, Cincinnati Bengals 10

· Patriots center Jake Andrews (Stanhope Elmore, Troy) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.

· Bengals defensive end Cedric Johnson (Davidson) was designated as a game-day inactive.

· Marcus Jones (Enterprise, Troy) started at cornerback for the Patriots. Jones made four tackles, recovered one fumble and returned a punt 10 yards. Jones recovered a fumble at the New England 1-yard line and returned it 17 yards in the second quarter in his first game since Sept. 17, 2023. Jones missed the final 15 games of the 2023 season because of a shoulder injury.

· Bengals kicker Evan McPherson (Fort Payne) made both his attempts - a 51-yard field goal with 6:14 left in the fourth quarter and an extra point.

· Patriots safety Dell Pettus (Sparkman, Troy) did not record any stats in his NFL debut. Pettus made the team as an undrafted rookie.

· Cam Taylor-Britt (Park Crossing) started at cornerback for the Bengals. Taylor-Britt made six tackles.

Miami Dolphins 20, Jacksonville Jaguars 17

· Jaguars defensive end DJ Coleman (Jacksonville State) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.

· Dolphins wide receiver Grant DuBose (Park Crossing, Miles) did not record any stats in his NFL debut. DuBose spent the 2023 season on the Green Bay Packers' practice squad. He joined Miami as a waiver claim on April 29.

· Tyreek Hill (West Alabama) started at wide receiver for the Dolphins. Hill had seven receptions for 130 yards and one touchdown. He caught an 80-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Tua Tagovailoa as Miami reduced Jacksonville's lead to 17-14 with 2:08 left in the third quarter.

· Josh Hines-Allen (Abbeville) started at defensive end for the Jaguars. Hines-Allen made two tackles and broke up one pass.

· Dolphins cornerback Siran Neal (Eufaula, Jacksonville State) did not record any stats in first game with Miami. Neal joined the Dolphins as a free agent during the offseason.

New Orleans Saints 47, Carolina Panthers 10

· Michael Jackson (Spain Park) started at cornerback for the Panthers. Jackson made seven tackles and broke up one pass. In his first outing with Carolina, Jackson matched his single-game tackle high. He also had two seven-tackle games with the Seattle Seahawks in 2022. The Panthers obtained Jackson in a trade with the Seahawks on Aug. 22.

· Jordan Matthews (Madison Academy) started at tight end for the Panthers. Matthews was targeted once but did not record any stats. Matthews made his first start since Nov. 24, 2019.

· Panthers outside linebacker Jamie Sheriff (South Alabama) did not record any stats in his first NFL game. An undrafted rookie, Sheriff joined Carolina as a waiver claim after being released by the Seattle Seahawks.

Minnesota Vikings 28, New York Giants 6

· Giants cornerback Cor'Dale Flott (Saraland) made three tackles.

· Vikings safety Bobby McCain (Oxford) did not record any stats. McCain is on Minnesota's practice squad, but he was elevated by the Vikings to active status for Sunday's game.

· Vikings quarterback Nick Mullens (Spain Park) dressed for the game but did not play.

· Rakeem Nunez-Roches (Central-Phenix City) started at defensive tackle for the Giants. Nunez-Roches made five tackles.

Los Angeles Chargers 22, Las Vegas Raiders 10

· Raiders running back Ameer Abdullah (Homewood) had a 28-yard kickoff return.

· Raiders cornerback Jakorian Bennett (McGill-Toolen) broke up one pass.

· Raiders quarterback Carter Bradley (South Alabama) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.

· Chargers safety A.J. Finley (St. Paul's Episcopal) did not record any stats.

· Chargers running back Kimani Vidal (Troy) was designated as a game-day inactive.

Seattle Seahawks 26, Denver Broncos 20

· Broncos cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine (Spanish Fort) was designated as a game-day inactive.

· Broncos cornerback Tremon Smith (Saks) did not record any stats.

Dallas Cowboys 33, Cleveland Browns 17

· Browns linebacker Mohamoud Diabate (Auburn High) made two tackles.

· Browns safety Chris Edmonds (Samford) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.

· Za'Darius Smith (Greenville) started at defensive end for the Browns. Smith made three tackles and recorded one sack. Smith recorded the 61st sack of his career.

· Jalen Tolbert (McGill-Toolen, South Alabama) started at wide receiver for the Cowboys. Tolbert had a 12-yard reception.

· Browns linebacker Nathaniel Watson (Maplesville) did not record any stats in his NFL debut. Watson joined Cleveland in the seventh round of the NFL Draft on April 27.

· Cowboys defensive end Sam Williams (Lee-Montgomery) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.

· Browns quarterback Jameis Winston (Hueytown) dressed for the game but did not play.

· Browns defensive end Alex Wright (Elba, UAB) made two tackles.

Washington Commanders 37, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20

· Commanders safety Jeremy Reaves (South Alabama) did not record any stats.

· Commanders offensive tackle Trent Scott (Lee-Huntsville) did not record any stats.

Detroit Lions 26, Los Angeles Rams 20 (OT)

· Lions defensive tackle Brodric Martin (Northridge, North Alabama) is on injured reserve and not eligible play.

· Rams cornerback Darious Williams (UAB) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.

Week 1 started on Thursday night, when the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Baltimore Ravens 27-20. On Friday night in Brazil, the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Green Bay Packers 34-29.

Week 1 concludes on Monday, when the New York Jets and San Francisco 49ers square off at 7:15 p.m. CDT at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California. ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 will televise the game.

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