Remember when the Houston Texans started 0-3 and everyone—myself included—thought DeMeco Ryans might be in trouble? Yeah, about that.
The Texans just punched their ticket to the playoffs for the third consecutive season. For the first time in franchise history. And they did it by bulldozing one of the best defenses in football.
The Defense Made a Statement
Saturday's 20-16 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers wasn't pretty. It was violent. It was suffocating. It was exactly what Houston's defense has become over the past two months.
Justin Herbert got sacked five times. Five. Against a quarterback who rarely goes down, who has the arm strength to extend plays and the pocket presence to sense pressure. The Texans didn't care. They hunted him all night.
Houston jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter with two explosive touchdowns from C.J. Stroud. The first was a 75-yard bomb to Jayden Higgins. The second was a 42-yard strike to Nico Collins. Two plays. Two touchdowns. Game essentially over before it began.
Eight Straight Wins
Let's put this run into perspective.
The Texans were 3-5 at the midpoint of the season. They looked lost. The offense wasn't clicking. The defense was giving up too many points. There were legitimate questions about whether this team could even make the playoffs.
Since then? 8-0. The longest active winning streak in the NFL. Six consecutive one-score victories after losing their first five such games this year.
That's not coaching. That's not scheme. That's mental toughness. That's a team that learned from early-season failures and refused to repeat them.
The Playoff Picture
Houston's win did more than secure their playoff spot. It officially eliminated the Chargers from AFC West contention, handing the division to Denver. It also kept the Texans alive for the AFC South title—though they'll need some help from the Colts, who host the Jaguars on Sunday.
At 11-5, Houston enters Week 18 with everything still in play. A win over Indianapolis combined with a Jacksonville loss would hand them their third straight division crown.
But even without the division title, this Texans team is dangerous. The defense has transformed into an absolute wrecking ball. C.J. Stroud, despite some up-and-down moments this season, still possesses the arm talent to rip apart any secondary on any given Sunday.
The Rematch Factor
Houston blew out the Chargers 44-10 in the Wild Card round last January. Herbert threw four interceptions—a career high—and looked completely rattled. Saturday's game felt like a sequel to that nightmare.
Herbert finished 21-of-32 for 236 yards with a touchdown and an interception. But those numbers don't capture how uncomfortable he looked. The Texans' front seven lived in the backfield. When Herbert did have time, his receivers couldn't get open. When his receivers did get open, they dropped passes in crucial moments.
Oronde Gadsden's drop near the end zone in the fourth quarter will haunt Chargers fans all offseason. The ball was in his hands. A touchdown would have given LA the lead. Instead, it popped loose and landed in the waiting arms of Azeez Al-Shaair at the one-yard line.
That's the difference between winning and losing in December. The Texans made plays when they mattered. The Chargers didn't.
What This Means Going Forward
DeMeco Ryans has built something special in Houston. Three consecutive playoff appearances. A defense that terrorizes quarterbacks. A young core that continues to develop.
The AFC is loaded this year. Denver, New England, Buffalo, Jacksonville—any of those teams could represent the conference in the Super Bowl. But don't sleep on Houston.
Because if the playoffs look anything like the past eight weeks, nobody wants to face this defense in January.