Exclusive: Jalen Pitre Ignites Houston Texans Victory with Motivating Message
HOUSTON — When the Houston Texans walked into the locker room down 17-10 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the team was in an abyss at the half. They could not get anything going on both sides of the ball. And through the first 30 minutes, it appeared that the Texans were on the verge of losing their second consecutive game.
But before leaving the locker room, safety Jalen Pitre took the initiative to light a fire under his team. He gave a motivating message about fighting through adversity and not losing. His message led to the Texans embarking on a 39-37 comeback victory inside NRG Stadium.
Texans improved to 4-4 on the season following a 39-37 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
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"We did not want to come back into our locker room on the losing side," Pitre told Texans Daily. "There will be ups and downs during games, but that's life in general. We had another chance to make things right. We had a half to go out there and show what we can do. We kept fighting."
In the words of coach DeMeco Ryans, "everything that could have gone wrong went wrong" for the Texans, especially in the first half.
Outside of a 75-yard drive that ended with quarterback C.J. Stroud finding wide receiver Nico Collins for a 14-yard touchdown, Houston finished the first half with 69 yards in 25 plays to go along with seven first downs.
The Texans failed to execute their game plan on both sides, but the injury bug took a significant toll. Houston lost six players due to several injuries, headlined by safeties M.J. Stewart (shoulder) and Jimmie Ward (hamstring).
Ryans said the team relied upon the "mindset of the locker room," which ignited a second-half comeback.
"We had the mentality of not losing," linebacker Henry To'oTo'o said. "We did not want to lose...Pitre gave us that juice. We locked in and were able to get the win."
Stroud began the second half by throwing a 75-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Noah Brown. Houston scored on their next two possessions. And due to the production of their defense, the Texans began the second half outscoring the Buccaneers 21-3.
Stroud's connection to Brown was one of five touchdown passes thrown en route to setting the NFL record for most passing yards by a rookie quarterback. Stroud finished the game with 470 yards while completing 30-of-42 attempts. The former Ohio State prospect had 145 yards at the half.
"Our culture is about believing in each other," Ryans said. "When we come back into this locker room, let's make sure we come back with a win. No matter what it takes. We are going to fight for each other. We are going to believe in each other. And hold each other accountable."
Ryans said he watched his team "grit out" a victory from the sideline. Every position group overcame adversity. But none more so than the special teams unit. Kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn sustained a quad injury that ruled him out for the second half. His injury led to running back Dare Ogunbowale filling in as the team's emergency kicker.
He drilled a 29-yard field goal to give the Texans a 33-30 lead with 8:45 left in the fourth quarter. But a few plays later, the Buccaneers regained the lead following Baker Mayfield's touchdown pass to wide receiver Cade Otton.
The drive left 46 seconds on the clock. Pitre said the final seconds of their Week 9 contest against the Buccaneers were stressful. Pitre said he hung his head after the defense gave up a scoring drive. But deep down inside, he believed his halftime message resonated with the team.
Stroud led the Texans on a game-winning scoring drive to give Houston a two-point victory. On the final play, Stroud connected with wide receiver Tank Dell for a 15-yard touchdown.
"Something we have been talking about is, 'how do you want your house to look?'" Pitre said. "At the end of the day, we are building our own house. Every play. Every quarter.
"We have to make sure we are relentless with our approach as the Houston Texans. It is hard at times. And it can be stressful. But that's how diamonds are made."
