See ball. Get ball.
That was Tashaun Gipson Sr.'s mindset throughout Sunday's 31-24 win at Kansas City. The eighth-year safety's goal was to NOT make the Patrick Mahomes highlight reel of great plays on Sunday night. Yet he made it anyway, only it was for snagging an interception on the NFL's 2018 MVP for the first time this season.
"It was just one of those opportunities where I said, 'Man, I got to come down with this play,'" Gipson said Sunday. "Huge momentum changer and obviously, the rest is history."
As the Chiefs were driving down the field in the second quarter, Gipson intercepted Mahomes' pass in the endzone. The Texans offense took over at the Houston 20-yard line. Watson orchestrated a 12-play, 80-yard drive that ended in a two-yard touchdown run by Carlos Hyde. The Texans trailed 17-16 after the score.
The Texans signed Gipson this offseason to help cover opposing tight ends. In Sunday's game, Chiefs standout Travis Kelce was held to four catches for 58 yards and no scores.
"I've been saying it since Week One, he's the best tight end in the league," Gipson said. "I just had to eat, sleep and drink everything he did. I tried to see his movements off the line, see every route he's run. I even got a cutup of every route he's run over the last two years. [I had to] go out there and do my due diligence. When you go out there, you definitely have to bring your hard hat when you play a guy like that. I was able to be effective today."
Gipson, who also tied for a team-high five tackles (three solo) and a pass defensed, has recorded interceptions in back-to-back games as a Texans. In Week 5, he picked off Matt Ryan and returned it 79 yards for a touchdown in the win against the Atlanta Falcons. The Texans signed Gipson as a free agent this offseason after he was waived by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
"He's been a good addition," head coach Bill O'Brien said Monday. "He's a physical player, he's very smart, he's played in some good defenses over the years and he's been a good addition to our defense. He's a good tackler, he's a good man-to-man player, he's a very aggressive player. He's done a good job. He's done a very good job."
Gipson's performance against the Kansas City Chiefs even earned him a phone call from Deion Sanders after the game.
The Texans improved to 4-2 on the season with the win and will next face the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. Kickoff is set for 12 noon CT on CBS and SportsRadio 610.
