With the Houston Texans (12-5) coming to town on Sunday for an AFC Divisional Round game against the Patriots (14-3), it’s hard not to ignore how good they’ve been on defense in 2025.
Because by almost every metric, they’ve been historically good.
They’ve evolved from a formidable unit into a historic juggernaut, allowing a staggering average of just 277.2 yards per game. Third-year head coach DeMeco Ryans’ squad became the gold standard for modern defensive play this season, with their dominance anchored by a relentless pass rush featuring Danielle Hunter (15 sacks) and All-Pro Will Anderson Jr. (12 sacks) - a duo that spearheaded a unit accounting for 47 sacks and 29 takeaways.
In a historical context, the 2025 Texans have effectively bridged the gap between the legends of the past and the complexities of the modern game. Their -0.18 Defensive EPA per play (a metric measuring efficiency) actually surpasses the marks of the 2015 "No Fly Zone" Broncos and the 2013 "Legion of Boom" Seahawks. While the 2000 Ravens still hold the record for fewest points allowed (165), there’s a groundswell among NFL media that argue Houston’s performance (295) is more impressive, given the current era’s high-octane, pass-heavy rules designed to favor the offense.
The true weight of whatever their legacy ultimately will be was felt most during their nine-game winning streak to close the regular season, a stretch where they allowed a mere 16.7 points per game. With a secondary led by Derek Stingley Jr. and breakout rookie Calen Bullock, the Texans created a pass defense that forced opponents into a state of offensive paralysis.
They rush the passer. They stop the run. They make your life miserable in the passing game.
So when Pats head coach Mike Vrabel was asked on Wednesday if Houston was the best defense they will have played all season, his answer came as no surprise.
“Yeah, of course,” said Vrabel before the question could even finish being asked. “I mean, they have great talent, great scheme, they play hard and I respect how hard they play. They're not only talented, but they have a play demeanor that I can appreciate.”
Houston might be good, but Vrabel isn’t worried about changing the way they play on offense.
“With Will Anderson and this defense being so good and forcing offenses off the field on third downs, does that change the way that you're going about thinking about - and Josh [McDaniels], the play calling on first and second?” asked WEEI’s Meghan Ottolini.
“Well, we never want to sit there and be in 3rd and 12,” said Vrabel. “We were 3rd and 15 last week, we picked it up - Chargers were ranked the same as the Texans.
“We're going to go play the game. That's what we're going to do. We're going to play the game. We're going to enjoy it just like we did last week. And again, you have too many of those, I think it's probably a bad thing. But if we find ourselves in those situations, then we'll have to just get ourselves out of them.”
Make no mistake about it - Houston’s defense is awesome. If you’ve made it this far into the piece, you know that.
But New England’s defense is nothing to shake a sock at, especially after their performance Wild Card Weekend. They dominated the Chargers (11-6) on their way to a 16-3 victory, doing so while making Pro Bowl quarterback Justin Herbert look as pedestrian as they come. He was sacked 6 times for a loss of 39 yards, while going 19 for 31 passing for a measly 159 yards. He had a QBR of 25.0 and a passer rating of 74.5.
That’s bad news for Houston quarterback CJ Stroud, who struggled at times during his team’s 30-6 win over the Steelers (10-7) on Monday night.
As of publishing, New England’s a 3-point favorite at FanDuel, sitting on the moneyline at -174. The total is currently set at 41.5.
Tune in each and every Monday throughout the football season to Patriots Monday on WEEI. Head coach Mike Vrabel joins The Greg Hill Show at 6:30 a.m. ET, and quarterback Drake Maye joins WEEI Afternoons.