With a 16-6 lead, the Texans drove to the Steelers' 6-yard line early in the fourth quarter, and tight end Dalton Schultz perked up on the sideline.
"I was like'Call it! Call it! Call it," Schultz said.
'It'…was a halfback pass that saw quarterback C.J. Stroud quickly pitch the ball back to running back Devin "Motor" Singletary, who ran to his right, pulled up, and zipped a strike to Schultz in the back right of the end zone for a touchdown.
Ka'imi Fairbairn's point after gave Houston a 23-6 advantage, and they would coast to a 30-6 win at NRG Stadium.
"It just seemed like the play was going in slow motion," Singletary said. "Like, as I'm getting hit, as I'm throwing the ball, everything was moving in slow motion. I'm just glad we executed it, though."
Singletary's first and only NFL pass went for a score, and his quarterback rating is now a sterling 131.2. It was one of three on the day for Houston, as Stroud tossed two more to Nico Collins.
"I knew I had to give a back shoulder pass," Singletary said. "Dalton handled business. He caught it."
For Schultz, it was his first touchdown reception as a Texan, and he finished the day with three catches for 42 yards. Schultz described the preparation that went into it, which wasn't extensive, or successful, for that matter.
"Dude, we only ran it once during the week," Schultz said. "We put it in during red zone and we ran it once. Dev kind of threw it in a jog-through and he overthrew it. As soon as he overthrew it, I'm like, 'Oh yeah, that's just going to work in the game. That's how it always works out.'"
And work out, it did.
It was the second successful trip to the red zone in three tries for the Texans offense, and it perked up the offensive line's ears when the call was made in the huddle.
"In that situation we call it, we're like, 'Oh, here we go: we're going to find out what happens,'" center Jarrett Patterson said. "Motor threw a great pass to Dalton and that was an awesome moment for us."
Singletary also carried seven times for 25 yards. With his scoring toss, he became the third Texans running back to throw for a touchdown, joining Arian Foster (2014) and James Allen (2002) as the others.
