John Metchie III, who missed his rookie season due to leukemia, scores first NFL TD
John Metchie III once faced the real possibility of never playing football again. But on Sunday, in the first half of the Houston Texans’ game against the Detroit Lions, the wide receiver scored his first NFL touchdown.
With just 12 seconds left in the second quarter, C.J. Stroud delivered a 15-yard pass to Metchie, pushing the Texans to a 23-7 lead.
That touchdown marked the peak of Metchie’s relentless journey back to the sport. In 2022, he shared his diagnosis of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), a rare blood cancer, after being selected by the Texans in the second round of that year’s draft. Against the odds, Metchie fought his way back to the NFL over the next two years.
Heading into Sunday’s game, he had appeared in 22 games, racking up 20 catches for 194 yards.
Finally reaching the end zone was a powerful moment, especially considering where he was just two years back.
With Stefon Diggs out for the season and Nico Collins sidelined by a hamstring injury, Metchie has stepped into a larger role for the Texans — and he’s delivering.
In the first half alone, Metchie caught all four of his targets for 65 yards, including the 15-yard touchdown. He also had an impressive 25-yard grab during Houston’s two-minute drill.