Houston Texans CB Derek Stingley Jr. was best in NFL in Week 13

Much of the conversation surrounding the Houston Texans win in Week 13 has centered around Azeez Al-Shaair. The veteran linebacker was ejected for a vicious hit on Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence and was later suspended for three games.

He plans to appeal the suspension, so there will be more news to follow. For now, however, we can shift the focus back to the rest of the team. Houston enters the bye week with a record of 8-5 and while they have a lot to clean up, one player proved he’s doing all he can to keep the team on top in the AFC South.

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Cornerback Derek Stingley, Jr. has put together an impressive campaign already but may have had his best outing of the season against the Jags. According to Next Gen Stats, he surrendered the lowest QB rating when targeted in Week 13 — holding Lawrence and Mac Jones to a rating of 0.0 on eight pass attempts.

Stingley gave up just 10 yards on one completion and added an interception. That’s his third pick on the season and the ninth of his career. The LSU product also has 15 pass defenses in 13 games, already surpassing the 13 he had last year.

Houston head coach DeMeco Ryans recently praised Stingley, saying they’re able to play aggressive on defense knowing he can handle the opposing team’s WR1. He also said he had “probably” the best hands on the team, which were on display once again this past weekend.