HOUSTON (AP) — Houston Texans coach DeMeco Ryans didn’t hold back in his praise for cornerback Derek Stingley in the locker room Sunday after his second interception of the fourth quarter iced a win over Miami.
“That’s probably the best play I’ve ever seen,” Ryans told the team before giving Stingley a game ball after the 20-12 victory.
Tua Tagovailoa and Miami’s offense got the ball back with just under two minutes left to try to tie it. But on the first play of the drive, Tagovailoa attempted a long pass to Tyreek Hill and Stingley stretched out to grab the ball in between Hill’s hands.
Tagovailoa slowly undid his chin straps and shook his head as he watched Stingley and Houston’s defense celebrate a fourth turnover of the game. Stingley and the entire defense raced to the end zone, where several teammates pretended to place a crown atop his head as he clutched the ball.
“It’s very impressive,” Ryans said. “It’s very rare you see a player make a play that way to end the game. That was an All-Pro-type play. That’s what it looks like when you’re one of the top guys at your position in the league going up, matching it up against one of the best wideouts in the league.”
Earlier in the quarter, Stingley snatched another ball before it could reach Hill inside the 10-yard line with about 10 1/2 minutes to go.
Stingley has played well all season but has taken things up a notch in the past month, with four of his five interceptions coming in the last four games. He also had two tackles for loss Sunday to become the first cornerback in NFL history to have two interceptions and two tackles for loss in a game.
His performance earned him AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors.
“Can’t say enough about how impactful Stingley has been throughout not only those plays (Sunday), but Stingley has been impactful throughout the entire year,” Ryans said. “I think for the past three wins, he’s been our defensive player of the game. So, when he’s making impact plays, it’s putting us in position to win football games.”
Houston’s win over Miami coupled with a loss by Indianapolis on Sunday gave the Texans (9-5) their second straight AFC South title. Next, they travel to Kansas City on Saturday to face the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs.
Stingley, the third overall pick in the 2022 draft, was criticized for not living up to expectations in his first two seasons in the league. He struggled to stay on the field, missing 13 games with injuries while fellow cornerback Sauce Gardner, taken a pick behind him by the New York Jets, won AP Defensive Rookie of the Year and twice was selected as an All-Pro.
This year, Stingley has started every game and has defended 17 passes, has 46 tackles and four tackles for loss, which are all career highs.
The former LSU standout was asked if he thinks he’s proved critics wrong with his play this season. He insists he doesn’t care about that.
“My teammates, they know who I am,” he said. “So, really it’s just showing my teammates that they can trust me.”
It’s easy to get teammates and coaches to rave about the season Stingley is having. Getting the player himself to talk about what he’s doing is much more difficult.
And it’s not just that he dislikes talking to reporters. He doesn’t seem to like talking much to anybody.
Quarterback C.J. Stroud shared how the interactions have gone between them when he tells Stingley he should play offense because he has such good hands.
“He doesn’t really talk much … he’s just like mm-hmm,” Stroud said with a laugh. “He doesn’t say nothing. Not too many words out of Sting.”
For now, he’s letting his play speak for him. While others predict that he will make his first Pro Bowl this season and possibly even earn All-Pro honors, he remains focused on the team.
“I don’t know,” he said. “I’m trying to get to the Super Bowl. If it happens, it happens. If it don’t, it’s cool.”
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