Moments after quarterbacking the Texans to a game-winning drive in Denver, Tom Savage was low-key.
"It felt good," Savage said. "It felt good to get the win."
Savage helped march the offense 74 yards in 3:26 for a touchdown and two-point conversion, but his head coach didn't go bananas either.
"He led us on a little drive," Bill O'Brien said.
The rookie from Pitt was a crisp 5-of-6 for 68 passing yards, and twice on the nine-play drive he converted on third down. But his final four passes were his shining moments of the series.
The Houston Texans take on the Denver Broncos in Denver for Preseason Game 3.
On fourth-and-three at the Texans' 46-yard line, he hit receiver Travis Labhart over the middle for 15 yards and a first down. He followed that up with an 8-yarder to tight end Ryan Griffin, and went back to Griffin on the next play for a 31-yard scoring strike. The touchown pitch-and-catch made it 17-16 Denver, and as Savage was "hoping so", the Texans went for two.
He drilled one into Labhart again, and the Texans took a 18-17 lead that would hold up for the victory.
"It was awesome for the team, I think," Savage said. "A lot of the younger guys were out there playing their tails off. I think we all did a pretty good job."
Labhart agreed with his fellow rookie.
"Tom did a great job of leading us down the field," Labhart said. "Griff got us in the end zone, and the o-line protected. It was a real fun last drive."
Ultimately, Savage directed the praise back to O'Brien and the coaching staff, as well as veteran quarterbacks Ryan Fitzpatrick and Case Keenum.
"You just have to trust the process with how you were prepared," Savage said. "I think the coaches did a great job. This game especially, Fitz and Case were helping me out on the sidelines a ton. Coach Godsey helped me out. It was good."
The win pushed the Texans to 2-1 in the preseason, and the finale is Thursday night at NRG Stadium against San Francisco.
