Texans 27, Patriots 20
Q. Can you take us through the play from your vantage when you saw your defense stop Cam on 4th and 4?
J.J. WATT: Yeah, it was a safety blitz off the edge, and the guys got there. It was great.
Q. You had a tackle for loss. You had four deflected passes. How would you look at your game? Now that you won, it's easier to ask you that question because you won. What did you think about what you did today?
J.J. WATT: It was all right. We got a win. That's what you're looking for. That's what you're going for, so it was good.
Q. What did you think of Deshaun's touchdown where he had to go through a couple of players to get in in the first half?
J.J. WATT: It was great. I mean, that's a hell of a play. Not many quarterbacks can put their shoulder down and try to run over somebody. It's always a big play for your team when your quarterback does that and shows what he's all about and shows that willingness to kind of get dirty. It's a big play and it's a great play.
Q. Obviously you know the Patriots are a good running team. What did it mean to you to be able to limit them the way you guys did and hold Cam to a season low in rushing yards?
J.J. WATT: Yeah, I mean, obviously we all know that we've had our struggles against the run this year so far, and I believe the Patriots came into this game either second or third in overall rushing offense, so for us to hold them to 86 yards is a huge accomplishment for us. I think our defense deserves a lot of credit for the way everybody played today. Everybody doing their assignment, making the tackles. It was a great all-around game by the guys, and I'm very proud of the way they did that.
Q. Was today a fun game for you being able to swat down all those passes like you used to do all the time back in the day?
J.J. WATT: Yeah, I still do it. I just did it today, so...
Q. Earlier this week when Anthony was so fired up, did that kind of message resonate with you guys? Obviously motivation hasn't been a problem, but just to hear that from your defensive leader, from your coach? What did that mean for you guys?
J.J. WATT: I mean, we always want to play good. It's no secret that our defense hasn't been playing at the level that we expect to play at or that we want to play at, so we're obviously trying to -- every single week trying to turn that around. I think today was a good step to doing that, and now we have a short week to come back on Thursday and we have a chance to take another step in doing that. And the only way that you can do it is to go out there and prove it, and I think today was a good step in that. Like I said, with the rushing attack, obviously we've taken our fair share of lumps, rightfully so for how we've been against the run this year, today is a day that the guys deserve a lot of credit.
Q. What was different about you guys today? You seemed like y'all were flying to the ball and obviously making plays. What was different about the defense today?
J.J. WATT: I don't know. We played well. We played well. We stopped the run. They came out in the first half. It was clear that they weren't just going to ever drop back and just throw the ball. There were a lot of gadgets, there were a lot of side to side things, a lot of screens, things like that. They didn't want to just drop back. We were working hard to stop the run and make them do things that they didn't want to do, and we were successful in that, and that's why ultimately we ended up winning the game.
Q. You said you were able to do some of the things you wanted to do and maybe get them to do things they didn't want to do. You got the lead midway through the second quarter and played with it the rest of the game. How much do you think that impacted how much you were able to do what you guys wanted to do playing from in front?
J.J. WATT: Yeah, that obviously makes things a whole lot easier. When you can stop a team early on and your offense can put up some points, then you're in the advantageous position, and that makes the game go a lot smoother for you. I mean, that's no rocket science there that it works better when things go that way. We just haven't been able to put that together for enough games this season to make it happen, and we did today and it shows what happens when you put yourself in that situation and you're able to play from that advantageous position. Obviously that's what we're trying to get to every game, we've just got to go out there and do it.
Q. This might be the most complete game that you guys played all season. As a leader can you talk about what was that like for you to see you guys have a productive day on both sides of the ball?
J.J. WATT: Yeah, yeah. I think it speaks a little bit to the last question that was just asked. Like I said, you start out the game early. Obviously the first drive of the game wasn't what we wanted, gave up a touchdown, but the offense comes out, puts points up on the board, we end up getting a lead and then we can play the game that we want to play. Defense was stopping the run, putting them in tough situations they don't want to be in, offense continues to score points, and then you're playing from a position that's much better to play from than obviously if you're playing from behind and the other team is just trying to run the ball and you're trying to catch up.
When you get yourself in a good position, it's a lot easier and a lot more fun to play from that way. Hopefully we can do that more as we head out to close out the season here.
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FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports