The Houston Texans walked away with a 20-10 win over the Kansas City Chiefs. But nobody in the building pretended it was anything but ugly. Their defense was impressive, but the flaws in their offense revealed that they had deeper issues to deal with. While the team ultimately managed to grind through the uglier stretches and finish the job, quarterback C.J. Stroud didn’t hold back from highlighting where they still needed to work.

The Texans’ QB didn’t hesitate to mention the offensive issues that they should clean up.

“The pressure, the blitz and, we just got to be better with, iding it better and, throwing our hots and, just making trying to make plays, and got to be better on first down, that’s really the key, if we can get to third and shorts and, third and mediums that that helps us out,” he said during the press conference.

The Texans’ offense wasn’t sharp against the Chiefs, and it continued to give Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes opportunities to flip the game. Houston allowed him three chances in the fourth quarter to tie or take the lead. But the Chiefs yupcouldn’t capitalize on those mistakes.

The first two drives stalled because the Chiefs failed on fourth down, and the Texans’ defense forced Mahomes into rushed, incomplete throws. The Chiefs dropped to 6-7.

Stroud even uses it to motivate the team.

“I try to bring the guys up, just to say like our defense is holding us together, come on, man. Let’s go make some score some points. We know how dangerous we are when we’re doing the right things,” he said. “It’s not always going to be perfect, but whenever your numbers call, you try to make the play.”

Houston’s offense struggled in the second half despite holding a 10-point lead at halftime. While Mahomes and the Chiefs found a spark in the third quarter, Stroud struggled to keep the momentum.

Still, he bounced back when it mattered most, overcoming the rough stretch and making key plays in the clutch to close out the game. On a third-and-3 midway through the fourth quarter, Stroud evaded Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones and connected with wide receiver Jayden Higgins for an 8-yard gain.

Later, running back Dare Ogunbowale capped the possession with a 5-yard go-ahead touchdown. So, despite the mistakes, the offense still managed to do just enough to secure the win. Moreover, the team had help from the defense.

During the presser, Stroud spoke glowingly of the defense.

C.J. Stroud and DeMeco Ryans had a special message for the Texans

Both teams’ defenses were impressive during the game, but it was the Texans’ unit that ultimately walked away with the win. Mahomes was intercepted three times and sacked twice. And safety Jalen Pitre and cornerback Kamari Lassiter are largely responsible for making things tough on the Chiefs’ quarterback.

“I thought our defense did a great job sticking in coverage and relentlessly rushing,” he said. “An amazing job.”

On the other hand, head coach DeMeco Ryans appeared satisfied with the efforts. Speaking of the win, he said, “Great team win. We did what we came to do.”

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The defense currently leads the league in fewest points allowed and fewest yards allowed. Houston racked up eight quarterback hits, two tackles for loss, and seven pass breakups. It wasn’t a perfect one, but the Texans’ defense helped the team improve its position with their fifth straight win of the season.