It was the moment that catapulted J.J. Watt from rookie to MegaWatt.
On January 7, 2012, Watt solidified himself in Texans franchise history with an interception returned for a touchdown in the team's first-ever playoff appearance.
The AFC Defensive Player of the Week summed it up in one word.
"Unbelievable," Watt said Wednesday. "That was one of the best moments of my whole life and it was pretty cool to feel the energy of the city and the stadium, and also just to be a part of this franchise's history. I think that was really cool."
Watt and Dalton, both rookies at the time, never spoke of the game-changing intereception. Dalton, a Katy native, was asked about it on Wednesday as both players prepare to face each other for third time this Sunday.
"Yeah, he made a good play on that," Dalton said. "What he's good at, he's going up and batting balls down. You know, he made a good play."
Watt picked off Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton in the second quarter and returned it 29 yards to give the Texans a 10-7 lead, their first of the game. Houston never trailed again, winning 31-10 in front of a home crowd that had waited a decade to see their team in the postseason.
"The fact that I caught it, I mean, knocking down the ball wasn't that big of a deal," Watt said. "It was a pretty hard thrown slant pass. I think I might have surprised myself just a little bit. It was obviously a great moment. And like I said, at the time being a rookie and being able to have such a place in this franchise's history with helping us win our first playoff game, it was very special to me."
Watt had a sack and two passes defensed in the 2013 AFC Wild Card game against the Cincinnati. He currently leads the NFL with 29 quarterback hits and four fumble recoveries and is leads the team with 9.5 sacks and seven passes defensed through the first 11 games this season.
The (5-5) Texans will host the (6-3-1) Cincinnati Bengals in their Week 12 matchup on Sunday. Kickoff is scheduled for 12 p.m. on CBS KHOU-11 and SportsRadio 610.
