The Houston Texans just delivered one of the defensive performances of the season as they beat the Kansas City Chiefs 20-10 in Week 14. On Sunday night, Houston’s defense suffocated the Chiefs’ offense every time it tried to create momentum. So post-game, former Houston defensive end J.J. Watt doubled down on his stance about Houston’s hard-hitting defense. 

“Texans’ defense is just phenomenal,” J.J. Watt wrote in his recent X post. “The talent, the attitude, the violence. Matt Burke leading one hell of a unit.” 

That’s a huge endorsement coming from J.J. Watt. Houston’s defensive unit showed it all on Sunday while playing against Kansas City. Houston’s defense did a great job sticking in coverage, and they even rushed relentlessly. The defensive unit also stopped the Chiefs twice on fourth down in the second half.

Houston’s defense even spread out the playmaking against Kansas City. Jalen Pitre, Kamari Lassiter, and Azeez Al-Shaair each grabbed an interception. Meanwhile, Tommy Togiai, Sheldon Rankins, and Denico Autry all recorded sacks. 

This Texans unit doesn’t rely on one star. They play like a swarm. Pressure comes from every direction. And J.J. Watt has been pointing out that violent, all-gas-no-brakes mentality all season. During a recap of Houston’s win over the Indianapolis Colts last week, he broke down exactly why this defense is so suffocating.

“I mean, the number one thing you see about this defense is just pure intensity and violence,” J.J. Watt said on CBS Sports. “The way that they attack people. They have strong bull rushes, speed, and power. And they do it together as a group. They never really let the quarterback slip out, and they don’t give escape lanes. They keep them bottled up, and it’s very difficult for quarterbacks to play against them.”

The Texans used that exact strategy to disrupt Chiefs’ quarterback Patrick Mahomes on Sunday. And it worked perfectly. Mahomes, already dealing with injuries on his offensive line, finished 14 of 33 for 160 yards with no touchdowns and three interceptions. 

That being said, Kansas City made mistakes, sure, but Houston forced most of them. This is why the Texans rank among the best NFL defenses this season. A big part of that dominance starts with coaching, and J.J. Watt made sure everyone knew it.

J.J. Watt talks about DeMeco Ryans’ coaching

Head coach DeMeco Ryans has built a system in Houston that’s designed to hunt elite quarterbacks. Throughout this season, Ryans has employed creative blitzes and deceptive disguises in Houston’s defense. So when the Texans earned their fifth straight win with a strong defensive outing, J.J. Watt highlighted Ryans’ impact.

“DeMeco putting on an incredible coaching performance after a 0-3 start and losing his starting QB for 3 games midseason,” J.J. Watt further wrote in his post. 

That’s not just praise. That’s a message to the entire league. J.J. Watt just told the league to take Ryans seriously. The Texans didn’t crumble after losing their starting quarterback, C.J. Stroud, to a concussion in Week 9. Instead, backup QB Davis Mills stepped in and kept the season alive. 

From Week 9 to 12, Mills then delivered two game-winning drives in three starts. That also included a big 19-point comeback win against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 10. So, now, since Week 9, Houston has stacked five straight wins. Their Week 14 victory just pushed them to 8-5. Moreover, with a violent defense, a rock-solid coaching staff, and momentum on their side, the Texans look dangerous. But it still remains to be seen whether they might join a rare club of teams that started 0-3 and made the playoffs with their current probability at 87%.

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