January 7, 2012 – Watt picks off Bengals and leads Texans to first-ever playoff win
The 2011 season saw the Houston Texans in the playoffs with a 10 – 6 record, it was J.J. Watt’s rookie year and the first playoff game of his career. It was a home game for the Texans, as they hosted the 9 – 7 Cincinnati Bengals on January 7, 2012 at Reliant Stadium.
The Texans fans came out in full force, packing the stadium with 71,725 fans, who got to witness the Texans’ first-ever playoff win, downing the Bengals 31 – 10. The game was close in the second quarter, then Watt delivered this signature moment.
With the game tied at ten in the second quarter, Watt stepped in front of an Andy Dalton pass and took it back 29 yards for a touchdown and a 17 – 10 Texans lead. A lead Houston would not relinquish, defeating the Bengals and securing the win.
Watt recorded only two total tackles and one sack in the game but his pick-six signified to the NFL world that Watt was going to be a star and helped propel the Texans into the Divisional Round, where the Texans would ultimately succumb to the Baltimore Ravens, 20 – 13. But J.J. Watt had arrived and put the league on notice.