Opinion: Texans defense could be among the best in the NFL

Will Anderson Jr. (Tennessee Titans, Wikimedia Commons)

The Houston Texans improved to a record of six wins and five losses on Thursday night after a 23-19 win over the Buffalo Bills. What we are seeing from the Texans at this time is how good their defense can be.

Houston had eight sacks as a team, picked off Josh Allen twice, and created a fumble in the four point win. To put what the Texans defense did into perspective, this was a Bills team that saw Allen register six touchdowns in a 44-32 Bills win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this past Sunday. 

It was a strong game for Texans safety Calen Bullock of Pasadena, California, who had two interceptions and one forced fumble. The Texans defender who had the fumble recovery was safety Jaylen Reed of Detroit, Michigan. Meanwhile, the Texans with sacks were defensive end Will Anderson Jr.of Hampton, Georgia (two and a half sacks), defensive end Danielle Hunter of St. Catherine, Jamaica (two sacks), linebacker Henry To’oto’o of Sacramento, California, defensive tackle Tim Settle Jr. of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and defensive end Derek Barnett of Nashville, Tennessee (one each), and defensive end Mario Edwards Jr. of Gautier, Mississippi (half a sack).

Just how good have the Texans been? Well, they lead the NFL with 264.3 yards allowed, are second in the NFL in turnover ratio with a +10 as they have 19 takeaways and nine giveaways (Chicago leads with a +16), are third in the NFL with 12 interceptions (behind Chicago with 15 and Jacksonville with 13), are third in the NFL with 33 sacks (behind Denver with 49 and Atlanta with 34), and have allowed the fewest points per game in the NFL (16.5). If the offense continues to be productive, the Texans could be dangerous in the postseason.