WATCH: Texans' Steven Nelson Intercepts Lamar Jackson
The Houston Texans' defense had their backs against the wall, but they came through.
On third-and-6, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson dropped back to pass and was looking for wide receiver Zay Flowers on a crossing route but cornerback Steven Nelson had other plans. Nelson undercut Flowers' route, intercepting the pass — his first pick since Week 8 of 2022 against the Tennessee Titans.
However, the play was set up by the pressure by the Texans' defensive line. While all eyes are on No. 2 overall pick, quarterback C.J. Stroud, defensive lineman and No. 3 overall pick, Will Anderson Jr., deserves his flowers.
He bull-rushed the interior of the Ravens' offensive line, pushing his blocker into the lap of Jackson and hitting his legs as he threw. Jackson wasn't able to step into his throw and lofted a soft pass that allowed Nelson to intercept it.
Nelson is in his second season in Houston after recording 52 tackles in 15 games in 2022.
Houston's defense stood tall for the second-straight drive, but this time around was a little bit tougher than the first.
After a running-into-the-kicker penalty set up a fourth-and-1 for the Texans' offense, head coach DeMeco Ryans decided to gamble and go for it. Stroud was pressured by Ravens linebacker Patrick Queen and couldn't evade the rush, getting sacked for a loss of 11 yards which pinned Houston's defense on its own 36-yard line.
The Texans' defense forced a punt on the Ravens' first drive, sacking Jackson for a loss of seven yards on third-and-2.
