If there has been one consistent throughline during my two months as the site expert here at Toro Times, it's this... whether the game ends up being a win or loss, you can count on the defense of the Houston Texans to make its impact felt at some point each and every week the team takes the field.
I've tried, over and over again, to put into perspective how good this unit has been throughout the 2025 season, and I like to believe that I've done a reasonably good job capturing the dominance of this defense. But to be completely honest, nothing I've written in support of Houston's D could ever be as convincing as watching the Texans play against the Buffalo Bills on Thursday Night Football this week.
In a 23-19 victory over the league's reigning MVP and the high-octane Buffalo Bills, the Houston Texans not only improved to above .500 for the first time all year, they took the "one of the" out of the statement "One of the best defenses in the NFL." This is the best defense in the league, and nobody in Houston's locker room is shying away from it.
"We definitely got the best defense in the league," Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair said after the win, according to DJ Bien-Aime of ESPN.com." You just got to put it on tape every day."
"We have that mindset, that we are the best every time we step out there on the field," Calen Bullock added following a career-best performance that included 5 tackles, 2 interceptions and a forced fumble.
"A dream come true showing up on a stage like Thursday night," Bullock continued. "We are the only team on, everybody watching, the whole world watching, so a dream come true."
Don't be surprised when Bullock follows in Danielle Hunter's footsteps and wins AFC Defensive Player of the Week for Week 12. And hey, speaking of Speaking of Danielle Hunter, we can't go any deeper into this piece without noting the contributions of Hunter and fellow edge rusher Will Anderson Jr., who were the catalysts of an 8-sack performance that tied the franchise record for most sacks in a single game.
"Credit goes to, first and foremost, our defensive line," head coach DeMeco Ryans said. "For the way they go out, the way those guys relentlessly rush the passer and everybody on the back end is playing sound and playing together. When we do that, we're tough to move the ball against. So, our players are doing an outstanding job."
Hunter (2 sacks) and Anderson Jr. (2.5 sacks) led the charge, putting Josh Allen under constant stress all night long. Henry To'oTo'o, Tim Settle Jr., Derek Barnett and Mario Edwards Jr. all got in on the fun as well, each logging at least 0.5 sack on the evening.
For clarification, it was only fun for the Texans. Nobody on Buffalo's sideline was exactly giddy over the result of Thursday night's game.
"It's not fun," Josh Allen said after the game, via the team's official transcript. "I have to be better with throwing the ball away, living to see another down, letting us play some situational football and pinning them deep. Too many times, I was going backwards, and I have to be better on that."
"It's a tough night," Bills left tackle Dion Dawkins added. "Probably won't be able to sleep. When I see the kid get hit and he rolls around on the ground, it's a tough day for the boys."