Houston Texans head coach and defensive play-caller DeMeco Ryans had brought the heat on third down all afternoon against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Safety Eric Murray rewarded him with his first sack of the season to get the defense off the field.
Murray came virtually untouched off the left side as Houston had more pass rushers than Jacksonville blockers, dropping Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence for a 14-yard loss.
https://twitter.com/HoustonTexans/status/1840464853300863397
Houston tried a similar blitz on the previous third down, but Lawrence was able to connect with rookie wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. for the conversion.
Thomas drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that deducted 15 yards to make it a net gain of four yards.
The sack was the first of the game for the Texans, which entered the contest with the third-most sacks after three games.
It was also Murray’s first sack of the season and his first since the 2020 season.
Murray, who was losing snaps to rookie Calen Bullock, has seen extended time on the field in the absence of veteran Jimmie Ward.