Justin Houston reaffirms status as NFL's best pass-rusher
If you watched Justin Houston during the Kansas City Chiefs' overtime win over the Denver Broncos on Sunday night, you'd never guess it was only his second game back from offseason knee surgery.
Houston didn't just look good - he looked unstoppable. Dominant. A pass-rushing freak of nature.
But his return last week wasn't given the attention it deserved. An AFC contender returning a linebacker who, just two years ago, racked up the second-most sacks in NFL history (22) should've put the league on notice.
Of course, it's easy to forget players when they're sitting on the sidelines. The NFL moves at lightning-quick speed, and we're wrapped up in the now.
Well, if the football world wasn't pay attention then, it is now, after Houston almost single-handedly dismantled the Super Bowl champion Broncos' passing game.
Houston finished the game with eye-popping statistics: three sacks, 10 tackles - three for a loss - and three quarterback hits.
He showed that he'd lost none of the athleticism, none of the speed, and none of the pass-rushing technique as he hounded Broncos quarterback Trevor Siemian from the first snap to the last.
Houston even got on the scoreboard, as he got skinny and blasted through a double-team, taking down Siemian for a safety:
Like I said, JUSTIN HOUSTON IS REEKING HAVOC!!!!!! #CHIEFS UP 2-0#CHIEFSKINGDOM pic.twitter.com/fFWYrQFmiN
— Bobo (@bcoates74) November 28, 2016
In a league stocked full of talented edge-rushers, it's almost impossible to pick the best. Just within the AFC West, Houston has competition from Von Miller and Khalil Mack, who are both having Defensive Player of the Year-type seasons.
But Houston is a rare player - one who was considered to be in J.J. Watt's stratosphere back in 2014.
Pro Football Focus graded Houston's Sunday night performance as the third best this season for an edge-defender, a scary thought considering he's unlikely to be 100 percent healthy.
"You haven't seen anything yet," Chiefs safety Eric Berry said, according to ESPN's Adam Teicher. "He's just getting his feet wet."
If that's true, everyone should get the hell out of the water.