If there's one defense no AFC team wants to see in the postseason, it's the Houston Texans'.
The Texans, winners of nine in a row, have built one of the most fearsome units in the NFL. Houston surrendered just 17.4 points per game this season, the second fewest in the NFL, though that number is inflated by many second-string players finishing a Week 18 game that resulted in 30 points allowed. Even more impressive, the Texans allowed opponents to score on only 27.6% of their drives, the best mark in the league.
Houston begins its playoff journey Monday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers and 42-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers. What exactly is Pittsburgh up against? We'll compare the Texans to some of the most notorious defenses since 2000 using a wide variety of traditional and advanced stats.
Points and yards allowed per game, total takeaways, and total sacks
| Team | Points | Yards | Takeaways | Sacks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 Texans | 17.4 | 277.2 | 29 | 47 |
| 2015 Broncos | 18.5 | 283.1 | 27 | 52 |
| 2013 Seahawks | 14.4 | 273.6 | 39 | 44 |
| 2009 Jets | 14.8 | 252.3 | 31 | 32 |
| 2008 Steelers | 13.9 | 237.2 | 29 | 51 |
| 2006 Bears | 15.9 | 294.1 | 44 | 40 |
| 2000 Ravens | 10.3 | 247.9 | 49 | 31 |
Rushing and passing yards allowed per game and yards per play allowed
| Team | Rushing Yards | Passing Yards | Yards Per Play |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 Texans | 93.7 | 183.5 | 4.8 |
| 2015 Broncos | 83.6 | 199.6 | 4.4 |
| 2013 Seahawks | 101.6 | 172.0 | 4.4 |
| 2009 Jets | 98.6 | 153.7 | 4.2 |
| 2008 Steelers | 80.3 | 156.9 | 3.9 |
| 2006 Bears | 99.4 | 194.8 | 4.6 |
| 2000 Ravens | 60.6 | 187.3 | 4.3 |
Advanced stats, courtesy of TruMedia
| Team | Def EPA Per Play | Def Success Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 Texans | 0.12 | 60.1% |
| 2015 Broncos | 0.12 | 63.7% |
| 2013 Seahawks | 0.14 | 59.6% |
| 2009 Jets | 0.18 | 64.4% |
| 2008 Steelers | 0.16 | 62.4% |
| 2006 Bears | 0.14 | 60.4% |
| 2000 Ravens | 0.22 | 64.9% |
The game has changed significantly over the last 25 years, with the dynamics shifting to favor the offense. That's made playing defense more challenging. Let's compare the 2025 Texans' defense to units over the past decade to see how it stacks up in recent times.
How the Texans' defense ranks since 2015
| Category | Texans | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Yards | 277.2 | 5th |
| Points | 17.4 | 13th |
| EPA per play | 0.12 | T-13th |
Those marks may not seem spectacular on paper, but the final numbers are affected by the Texans resting key players down the stretch of their regular-season finale. Without the final week of the season, Houston's defense would rank second since 2015 in yards allowed, trailing only the 2023 Cleveland Browns, and seventh in points per game.
The unit also performed exceptionally well against elite passers, holding the Los Angeles Rams to 14 points, the Buffalo Bills to 19 points (seven coming via special teams), and the Kansas City Chiefs to 10 points.
| Passer | Completions | Attempts | Yards | TDs | INTs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matthew Stafford | 21 | 29 | 245 | 1 | 0 |
| Josh Allen | 24 | 34 | 253 | 0 | 2 |
| Patrick Mahomes | 14 | 33 | 160 | 0 | 3 |
While elite offenses dominate the headlines in today's NFL, the Texans are out to prove that it is indeed defenses that win championships.
