Houston Texans: Three elements that make the defense the NFL’s best
By T.A. Mock
The Houston Texans nine-game winning streak has been powered by a truly elite defense. These three elements are what makes them the best defense in the NFL.
Think back to Monday, September 24th with me. The day before, the Houston Texans had just lost their third game in a row to start the season. This one was the most disappointing, it was to a Giants team that was expected to be amongst the leagues worst. Think back to how you were feeling about this Texans team.
Okay, now imagine I told you with four games left in the season, the Texans would be sitting at 9-3. That’s right, that they would rip off nine wins in a row and be holders of the NFL’s longest active win streak. They would go from tied for last in the entire league to vying for a first-round playoff bye.
So, you’re sitting there on the morning of September 24th and you just heard that. You probably would have punched me in the face and kicked me out of your house, like I belonged there anyway. If you would have been told that 10 weeks ago, you wouldn’t have believed it possible, yet, here we are. Headed into week 14 the Texans sit at 9-3, owners of a nine-game winning streak.
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The Houston Texans will be defending their nine-game win streak at home against the Indianapolis Colts. They’ll be looking to extend the winning streak to double digits and by doing so, clinch the AFC South and lock up a playoff spot with three games left in the season.
I mean, just talk about a miraculous turnaround. A .500 season, let alone a playoff appearance, seemed to be out the window after three weeks of the season but here the Texans sit. A huge portion of the credit could go to Deshaun Watson, DeAndre Hopkins, and Lamar Miller leading an offensive resurgence. However, the main backbone to this turnaround has been the stellar defensive play.
Led by the usual suspects of JJ Watt, Jadeveon Clowney, and Johnathan Joseph, the Texans defense continuously turned in dominant performance after dominant performance. They stifled any and all opposing offenses and truly climbed the rankings back to being one of, if not the best defense in the entire NFL. Let’s take a look at three elements that have allowed them to do so.