Dominant defenses still can carry teams in the NFL.
The Houston Texans proved it again Thursday night with another smothering performance against Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills in a 23-19 victory.
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Despite allowing the Bills to convert a fourth-and-27 on a perfectly executed hook-and-lateral play in the final minute, Houston’s defense tightened up and held at their own 17.
The Texans (6-5) are back in the playoff picture with three straight wins behind backup quarterback Davis Mills, who has filled in for C.J. Stroud while he recovers from a concussion.
A stingy defense has helped Houston overcome an 0-3 start. The Texans entered Week 12 leading the NFL in scoring defense (16.3 points per game) and overall defense (258.1 yards).
Special teams gave up a kickoff return touchdown so Houston’s defense held the Bills to 13 points. Buffalo was averaging 29.2, tied for third-best in the NFL.
Allen was sacked a career-high eight times and never looked comfortable being chased by a fierce pass rush.
“Just the defense staying disciplined, keeping him contained in the pocket and we did a good job,” said Danielle Hunter, who had two sacks.
Just four days after Allen had six touchdowns — three passing and three rushing — in a 44-32 win over Tampa Bay, the Texans frustrated the reigning NFL MVP throughout the game. He threw two interceptions and didn’t have any TDs.
“Everybody hunted tonight,” said Will Anderson Jr., who had 2 1/2 sacks and batted down a pass on third-and-1 from the 17 that would have gone for a first down and perhaps a score. "We were talking about being relentless, empty the tank. We got a long break. Everybody give it all you got.”
Houston’s performance was reminiscent of Philadelphia’s dominant defensive effort against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl nine months ago.
The Eagles have carried that defensive success over into this season. They just beat the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions in consecutive games while scoring just 26 points because the defense allowed one touchdown and three field goals.
The Texans have held nine opponents to 20 points or less this season.
"When you have a defense like that, you’re in every game so you have to take advantage of your opportunities and play a clean game,” Mills said.
Quarterbacks make the most money, wide receivers get much of the attention and offenses grab the headlines.
But defenses still win games.
The top 16 teams in scoring defense each have a winning record. Eight of the top 10 teams in overall defense have a winning record.
The Denver Broncos are 9-2 despite an inconsistent offense because they have a ferocious defense that’s third in yards (274.4) and scoring (17.5).
They just held Mahomes and the Chiefs to 311 yards in a 22-19 victory last week.
“They just play hard and tough,” Broncos QB Bo Nix said about his team’s defense. “I think you can just take a few drives; they may give up an explosive, miss out on a tough penalty, but they bow up. If you’re going to get in the red zone, we’re going to keep you to a field goal. If you struggle, if we get you behind the sticks, you’re going to have to punt. V.J. (defensive coordinator Vance Joseph), he does a great job with the scheme and then our guys play well in that scheme. They just play really hard and they’re resilient. I think they’re really confident and they know that they are good. They know that they can rely on the front and our guys just get after the quarterback, and it makes it tough on the opposing team.”
The 1985 Chicago Bears and the 2000 Baltimore Ravens are top examples of teams that relied on defense to win Super Bowls. There’s also the Pittsburgh Steelers and the “Steel Curtain” defenses in the 1970s that won four Super Bowls. The New England Patriots won three of their first six Super Bowl titles with Tom Brady on the strength of Bill Belichick’s defense.
The 2013 Seattle Seahawks and the “Legion of Boom” defense held Denver’s record-setting offense, led by Peyton Manning, to just eight points. The 2015 Broncos with Manning became champions thanks to their defense. The 1990 New York Giants are another example.
Football has evolved over the years. Rules have changed to protect players and help offenses score more points to make games more exciting.
Still, it’s tough to beat a nasty defense.
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