After picking off Tony Romo, safety Kendrick Lewis didn't want to keep the ball he had just intercepted.
He gave it to head coach Bill O'Brien.
"I gave up a fluke touchdown and I just wanted to tell coach, 'Hey that's me' and getting back from giving up that touchdown," Lewis said.
Earlier in the game, Lewis lost his footing on the play that would result in a 43-yard touchdown to Terrence Williams. He wanted O'Brien to know that he was determined to make up for it. According to Lewis, O'Brien was too focused on the next play to pay much attention to the ball he was offering him.
"I thought he was sticking it in my chest, to tell me to get the offense going," O'Brien said. "We have a good relationship, K-Lew and I. He's just a good guy. He's one of the leaders of our team, just another one of the reasons why I enjoy pro football, a guy like that who just brings a very professional attitude into the workplace."
The Texans currently lead the NFL with 12 takeaways. Lewis was involved in four of those turnovers. Through five games, Kendrick Lewis is tied with D.J. Swearinger for a team-high three forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, one interception, and one pass defensed. Nine of the Texans takeaways have occurred inside their own red zone. Lewis, who credits the defensive front-seven for creating such opportunities, has just been focused on giving a full-speed effort every game.
"I've just been playing relentless, just giving it all I can and never giving up," Lewis said. "Never saying that these guys can get points because they don't have to so I do my best and we do our best as a team to, as a defense, try to create turnovers, try to keep points off the board, and it's been working in our favor."
