Texans-Colts: Name That Play (Jabaal Sheard’s Strip Sack of Tom Savage)

Sunday’s Texans-Colts game was 99% hideous and 1% beautiful. That last play. That 4th and 7 with two seconds remaining and an opportunity to tie the game made it all worth it. The boring runs up the middle, the Tom Savage tosses out of bounds, the dropped interceptions, the long T.Y. Hilton touchdown catches, the mind-numbing boredom, the waste of all that life...all of it was exchanged for a perfect moment, a moment as perfect as the creation of life itself, a moment when the universe clicked exactly into place and reminded us that there is still beauty on this Earth.

Last week, Duane Brown was traded. It made the 2017 Texans worse. It was a bad trade. But I can understand it a little bit. It led to Houston recouping some of the draft picks they were missing from giving away their best ones to shed [Name Redacted’s] skin and draft Deshaun Watson. Duane Brown was unhappy, and the Texans still had an incredible passing offense without Brown blocking, even if it was only against bad pass defenses. I wouldn’t have done it, but I get it.

To replace Brown, the Texans went with rookie Julie’n Davenport against the Colts. I like Davenport. He’s a natural kick slider. He has great feet. His arms are long. He should be a competent left tackle in the NFL. The problem is that Davenport isn’t strong enough to play in the NFL right now. Chris Clark was still hobbled by a calf injury, and the Texans threw Davenport in before he was ready. He struggled and was beat consistently because his punch didn’t stop anything. He was a hindrance. He wasn’t a barrier.

At some point in Sunday’s game, the Texans replaced Davenport with Chris Clark. On the last play of the game, the Texans’ replacement tackle was matched up one-on-one against Jabaal Sheard, an above average pass rusher. Clark was never able to get his hands to stick on Sheard. He missed the chest. Sheard ripped around the edge and beat the the left tackle.

Tom Savage was staring down DeAndre Hopkins in double coverage. He pooped his pants when he saw Sheard and limply attempted to toss the ball. Before it was released, Sheard hit Savage and forced a fumble. Clark bent over to try and pick it up and do something with it, but he missed. That oblong shape bounced along a path of chaos until Barkevious Mingo jumped on top of it. Game over.

It was too perfect. Duane Brown’s vacated spot gave up the sack in a one-on-one situation. Tom Savage made a predestined decision. He didn’t know what to do once Hopkins was covered. His brain was too slow and he missed an open Stephen Anderson. There are times when things come together so flawlessly that you’re left feeling like there is something else going on. You can’t understand the glimpse into the absurd you are getting, but you know that’s what is occurring. This is one of those moments. It was all too Texans. It was all too beautiful.

Name that play, BRB. Name it like you did Brian Hoyer’s infamous pass against these same Colts, and feel the love.