Jaelen Strong’s first NFL catch is Hail Mary TD before halftime
Welcome to the NFL, rook.
Houston Texans rookie wide receiver Jaelen Strong had not played a snap this season prior to Thursday night, being an active bystander in Week 1 and a healthy inactive the following three games during the team’s 1-3 start.
But with Cecil Shorts injured, Strong got his chance against the Indianapolis Colts and said he was ready to do what he was coached to do.
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Right before the half, with the Texans too far from field-goal range, quarterback Brian Hoyer — who had replaced an injured/ineffective Ryan Mallett after a big hit — threw a lollipop pass into the end zone as time expired.
Five Colts stood around and watched as Strong, the former Arizona State hero who beat USC a year ago with a walk-off touchdown in traffic, caught the Hail Mary pass from 42 yards out to cut the Colts’ lead to 13-10.
Yup … his first NFL reception. But seriously: It looked like the Colts were trying to catch fireflies and not footballs. No attempt to impede Strong’s catch whatsoever.
In two seasons at ASU, Strong caught 157 passes for 2,287 yards and 17 touchdowns after transferring from junior college. He was drafted in Round 3, which was a surprise after some reports suggested he could go late in Round 1.
Before Thursday, Strong had very much disappointed the Texans, showing up to work this offseason out of shape and overweight. He’s starting to get back in their good graces.
Hoyer connected on 8 of 13 passes for 127 yards and that TD pass, and it’s a good thing the flamethrowing Mallett wasn’t in there or he might have injured Strong or broken the crossbar with his Hail Mary attempt.
Strong made it 2 for 2 as his second NFL catch also was a score — a wide-open 11-yard TD reception to give the Texans the lead. Is he this year’s Martavis Bryant?
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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Eric_Edholm
