With four weeks remaining in the 2025 NFL season, it's fair to say that the scariest team in the National Football League may be the Houston Texans, who until after Sunday night's victory over the Kansas City Chiefs weren't even in AFC side of the Playoff bracket. With an Indianapolis Colts loss earlier in the day combined with that 20-10 win in Kansas City, that all changed.
With four episodes remaining in its fifth season, it's also fair to say that Stranger Things' three-volume final season may be the most anticipated television/streaming/pop culture event of the year. The Netflix original series has seemingly reached it's post-season 1 peak of popularity, to the point where any business or individual would be wise to attempt to capitlize on the Stranger Things bump to increase their own brand recognition.
Smartly, the Houston Texans are one of those brands, as the franchise unveiled its Stranger Things infused social media marketing campaign to send cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. to the Pro Bowl this February.
Many have gotten lost here 🤫#ProBowlVote + @stingjr pic.twitter.com/abQahywnS0
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) December 9, 2025
Ever since his injury-plagued rookie season, Stingley has made a habit of dragging unsuspecting wide receivers into the Upside Down, providing nightmare fuel to quarterbacks, pass-catchers and offensive coordinators just like Vecna haunts the teens of Hawkins, Indiana. In 41 games over the last two and a half seasons, Stingley has hauled in 11 interceptions and broken up 43 more passes. Opposing quarterbacks have been held to 45% completion when they target Stingley, and this year, the 24-year-old defensive back has been stingier than ever, limiting opponents to just 40% completion when throwing his direction.
I suppose you could simply call this body of work, "Stingley Things."
Now I should mention that a huge reason why Derek Stingley Jr. is so effective in Houston's secondary, at least in part, is because there are a bunch of dudes equally menacing flanking him, wreaking havoc on all three levels of the Texans defense. Watch Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter track down an opposing quarterback closely enough and it will start to resemble Demogorgons chasing down terrified Russians. Take a peak at Kamari Lassiter, Jalen Pitre and Calen Bullock roaming around the secondary and you'll begin to notice that they're looking like Demobats flying around in the Upside Down.
It's truly terrifying unless you're a fan of the Houston Texans, in which case, watching this Swarm work in unison is a beautiful, albeit sometimes violent sight to behold.