How Texans ‘ballhawk’ safety Calen Bullock forced three turnovers in clutch performance in win over Bills

HOUSTON – Calen Bullock kept finding the football, trusting his instincts and range to take it away from the Buffalo Bills.

Bullock tracked a deflected pass from quarterback Josh Allen that ricocheted off middle linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, popping it into the air for the Texans’ free safety to pick it off.

Bullock returned it 44 yards for what would have been his first NFL touchdown, crisscrossing the field only for the score to be nullified by an illegal block penalty on defensive end Derek Barnett.

It wasn’t the last time Bullock would disrupt the Bills’ offense during the only three-turnover game of the NFL season. During a 23-19 upset victory at NRG Stadium, it was Bullock who intercepted a pair of Allen passes and forced a fumble recovered by rookie Jaylen Reed.

The final interception was the most important one, jumping to intercept an Allen throw intended for wide receiver Josh Palmer at the Texans’ nine-yard line to seal the game.

The interception was pivotal, considering how Allen had just converted a 4th-and-27 play with a hook-and-ladder play. On the pick, Allen was throwing to Palmer while under pressure on fourth down at the Texans’ 22-yard line. Bullock left tight end Dawson Knox when he identified the path of the football, planting his feet and twisting his body behind him to corral an acrobatic interception.

“Just me, using my technique, doing what I do each and every single day,” Bullock said. “I go out and practice and just take what I do in practice to the game and catch the ball."

Bullock let the moment sink in after the game in a victorious locker room. Now, the Texans have the weekend off before next week’s pivotal AFC South game against the division-leading Indianapolis Colts.

“It was a great performance,” Bullock said. “I thank God. Got to go out there on Thursday night in front of the home crowd and play a game like that. It can’t get no better that this.”

After the game, after intercepting his ninth career pass to pass former cornerback Dunta Robinson for the most in franchise history in their first two seasons, Bullock received a game ball from coach DeMeco Ryans.

“He hunted all night,” Ryans said. “Man, the best game I’ve seen.” 

A former USC standout who has a background as an outside cornerback before switching to safety, Bullock simply has a nose for the football and the kind of athleticism and reactions that are unteachable.

“He’s a ball hawk,” Al-Shaair said. “It’s just who he is. He’s one of the best in the league in being able to do that. He’s just in the right spots.” 

Although the Texans’ top-ranked defense had to carry the entire team on its shoulder pads collectively with eight sacks, including 2 1/2 from Will Anderson Jr. and two more from Danielle Hunter, they were up to the task.

From an 0-3 start, the Texans are now 6-5 and extremely relevant in the AFC playoff race.

“There’s ups and downs in the season but we still got the mindset,” Bullock said. “We’re going to go out there and we’re going to fight each and every single day and every time we step on the field, we’re going to try to be the best.”

A former All-Pac-12 selection for the Trojans, Bullock leads the Texans with four interceptions this season. His forced fumble was the first of his career.

For the season, he has allowed just 18 completions on 35 targets for 272 yards and a 56.8 opposing passer rating. He allowed only a 37.3 passer rating as a rookie last season.

“he way our defensive line hunted, of course, that was great, but Calen Bullock is the guy for me,” Ryans said. “The way he went out and intercepted the ball two times, forced a fumble to get us in plus territory there. My favorite play is the one that ended it.

“A lot of emotions going on on the sideline through that entire drive. For Calen to come down with the interception, that was my favorite play because it meant it was over.”

After the game, Bullock got recognition from analyst Richard Sherman.

A former All-Pro cornerback with the Seattle Seahawks’ famed Legion of Boom secondary, Sherman talked with Bullock on Friday and afterward.

“It’s a dream,’ Bullock said. ”As a kid, just watching Richard Sherman and that Seahawks defense, you know what that Seahawks defense was about.(1:13)It was one of the best defenses.

“Just a guy like that, I got to talk to him on Friday. Him just giving me game, I went out there and I had a hell of a game. Him just showing me love at the end, it was a dream.”

And, to topple a Bills team headlined by the reigning NFL Most Valuable Player in Allen, was a significant moment for the Texans.

“We take a lot of pride in that,” Bullock said. “Bills, they’re a very talented team. We know Josh Allen, an MVP last year, one of the best quarterbacks in his league.”

Bullock punched the football out of Khalil Shakir’s hand as Reed recovered the fumble. Fast hands, fast reactions, fast thinking. That’s Bullock, in a nutshell. He’s a ballplayer.

On two targets, he had two interceptions.

“The ball’s always on our mind,” Bullock said. “We preach that every single day. Play wasn’t over, punch the ball out, make a play.” 

Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com