Connor Barwin's breakthrough portends more good things for Texans

• Outside linebacker's first sack of 2012 helped turn tide vs. Ravens
• Barwin had 11.5 sacks last season opposite J.J. Watt
• Texans head into bye with AFC-best 6-1 record

HOUSTON — Joe Flacco never saw Houston Texans outside linebacker Connor Barwin, bearing down on his blindside carrying six games of frustration, when he planted the Baltimore Ravens quarterback into the Reliant Stadium turf for a first quarter safety Sunday.

Flacco and running back Ray Rice, who was in pass protection, were occupied elsewhere, their eyes locked onto defensive end J.J. Watt as he wrestled to shed a guard-tackle double block. And fellow outside linebacker Brooks Reed had also garnered attention on the right side.

That's when Barwin came free to make a game-turning play which represented his first sack this season.

Barwin was asked if his eyes were silver-dollar sized as he raced in untouched, living every pass rusher's dream.

"Oh, yeah,'' Barwin smiled. "Well, you get a little nervous, too, because when you get a straight shot, it's easy to miss. So, I told Flacco after, I was like, 'That was impressive, you're still in the game.' Because I hit the (crap) out of him twice. I think he deserves some credit. He played the whole game.''

Barwin's first career safety was the launch point for his best game of the year (sack, pass knocked down, four quarterback hits and four tackles).

It's all about confidence, and once Barwin broke his drought, he looked like Watt's relentless bookend clone. Watt wears jersey No. 99 and Barwin No. 98. But at times during Sunday's 43-13 smashing of the Ravens, it was hard to tell them apart.

Funny. A couple of weeks ago, the Texans defenders conducted "Operation Keep J.J. Out of the Highlight Film'' by trying as hard as they could to make splash plays that would overshadow the second-year sacking, pass-swatting game wrecker.

Barwin, who had 11½ sacks last season, and his teammates now have plenty of highlights to celebrate.

"It was a huge weight lifted off my back,'' Barwin said. "It felt huge.

"Football is a lot of confidence. And so if you get that early on in the game, I felt like I could really let it go for the rest of the game and I was able to play well.''

Now the AFC's most complete team feels complete at every level of arguably the league's best defense with all precincts reporting.

"That safety re-energized our team and was certainly a big play,'' defensive coordinator Wade Phillips said, referencing the Texans' 42-24 Week 6 thumping at the hands of Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. "It got our fans in the game, it got our players in the game. After that, we played lights out.

"Our pride was hurt after the week before. But I like the way our guys responded.''

Especially Detroit native Barwin, who's headed home during the bye week to celebrate his own home run play by catching a couple of Tigers World Series games.