HOUSTON — It happened for the first time in the second preseason game, but that was just a glorified scrimmage for NFL players.
This time it was real for Houston Texans (0-0-1) defensive rookies Derek Stingley Jr. and Jalen Pitre as they played their first NFL regular season game against the Indianapolis Colts (0-0-1) on Sunday at NRG Stadium that ended in a 20-20 tie.
“It was cool to be back in the stadium for real this time,” said Stingley after the game.
The third overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft displayed the skill set that made him an All-American at LSU by continuously being in the right place at the right time. He finished the game with a combined seven tackles and one huge pass deflection that saved a touchdown for the Texans.
With the Colts threatening to score from the Texans’ four-yard line on third down, quarterback Matt Ryan found what appeared to be an open wide receiver in the end zone. But by the time the pass was thrown to rookie Alec Pierce, Stingley was already making his move towards Pierce. He launched his body and deflected the pass, forcing the Colts to settle for a field goal.
“He (Pierce) was a little tight, so I figured he was going to do something outside,” Stingley said about the fourth-quarter play. “I tried to stay outside leverage and when the ball wasn’t thrown yet he just took it back in. I followed him and the ball was thrown, and I made a play on the ball.”
Things started a little quicker for 2021 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year Jalen Pitre, who the Texans selected in the second round with the 37th overall pick. Pitre made his presence felt from the first snap of the game when he came down from his safety position to stop Colts running back Jonathan Taylor on a four-yard gain.
The Texans knew when they drafted Pitre that he was not afraid of making tackles, and that was on display Sunday as he had 11 combined tackles and was consistently around the ball all game.
His total tackle count for the game ties him for the fifth-highest total by an NFL rookie in Week 1 of a regular season game since the 1970 merger. It also ranks as the second-most among rookies making their Texans debut, only trailing LB DeMeco Ryans, who posted 13 in his debut against Philadelphia on September 10, 2006.
Stingley and Pitre displayed on Sunday against the Colts what head coach/defensive coordinator Lovie Smith had seen on film before they drafted them and what he witnessed first-hand during training camp.
“I think they’re both talented players that have a great intellect for football and they get it,” coach Smith said during training camp. “They’ve picked up everything quickly. They’re football guys.”
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