Titans’ L’Jarius Sneed plays dumb about Texans WR Nico Collins in trash talk ahead of Week 4 matchup

Ahead of a Week 4 AFC South clash between the Tennessee Titans and Houston Texans, Texans wide receiver Nico Collins and Titans cornerback L’Jarius Sneed are on a collision course after a tense exchange of trash talk through the media on Wednesday. The beef began when Sneed, a former star corner for the Kansas City Chiefs, was asked by reporters in Nashville about his matchup covering Collins.

Sneed feigned obliviousness — as if he didn’t know who Collins was — not once, but twice. “Who?” he said both times before flashing a smile and eliciting some laughter from local reporters.

For Collins, Sneed’s remarks were no laughing matter. Though he initially expressed his excitement for the matchup, his tone changed when he was asked directly about what Sneed had told reporters in Nashville. “He knows who I am. That’s crazy,” Collins said at first before going into more detail in a followup question.

“I’m a dawg, you know what I’m saying? I’m just me. I don’t say much, I just play. You can talk all you want, I’m not hearing it. Just line that shit up.”

Having finished last season 3-14 and tied for the worst record in the NFL, the Titans’ 0-3 start has not been a terrible surprise, and Sneed has not lived up to the championship pedigree he displayed as a standout on Steve Spagnuolo’s Chiefs defense and a member of two Super Bowl-winning teams. 

The Texans’ descent to 0-3, however, has been much more startling, and in Sunday’s game, much is at stake as one team will get off the schneid while the other will be staring down 0-4.

Sneed making a wisecrack towards Collins is somewhat mystifying in that the two have yet to face off against each other. Sneed played in neither of the Titans’ two matchups with the Texans a year ago; he played in just five games before a quad injury ended his season.