Sunday was a day of firsts for the Texans in Jacksonville.
A 13-6 victory over the Jaguars was their first win of 2022.
Defensive back Derek Singley, Jr. picked off a pass in the third quarter, and it was the first interception of his NFL career.
With the triumph, it also proved to be the first win as a Texans head coach for Lovie Smith.
"It's kind of a surreal feeling," Smith told John Harris of Texans Radio in a postgame interview. "It's been a long time coming. Knowing what we had to do to get that: go on the road, division team that's been playing good football. The guys just kept competing. We haven't played a complete game. There's been moments when we've done good things. But we finished it today."
After coughing up a 17-point fourth quarter lead to the Colts in Week 1 and finishing with a tie, Smith and the Texans lost the next three. All defeats came after they were within striking distance at various points in the fourth quarter of each contest. They found themselves in a 6-6 tie in the fourth quarter on Sunday, but were able to close out the game with a Dameon Pierce touchdown run and two big defensive stands by the defense.
"It's big, because I do know how hard it is," Smith said. "We've been battling for four weeks and hadn't been able to finish it. That's all we've been able to talk about."
Smith's last win as an NFL head coach came on December 6, 2015. He was the head coach of the Buccaneers, and they beat the Falcons that day in South Florida. He described what he wants to happened next.
"Now that we have taken care of that, I'm just anxious to get that second win now," Smith said.
He'll have to wait, however, as the Texans are off next Sunday with their bye week. They'll face the Raiders in Las Vegas on October 23. Smith explained that after he and the coaches do some self-scouting and evaluations, he'll take a small breather.
"Exhale a little bit as much as anything," Smith said. "I'm a football fan. So I'm excited about looking at games a little bit differently. I'm talking about starting with high school, college games, and of course the NFL. Before you know it, it'll be back on."
Smith and the Texans are now 1-3-1 in 2022.
