Houston is hitting the ground running as they continue their trip further north to Foxborough after their 30-6 beatdown of the Pittsburgh Steelers in their own home.
Now, they'll be heading into a matchup that proves to be a much tougher challenge. So let's take a look at just how good this Texans defence is and how they shouldn't be underestimated just because of some questions on the opposite side of the ball.
Since 2020, only the 2023 Cleveland Browns (270.2) and 2021 Buffalo Bills (272.8) have let up, on average, fewer yards per game than the Texans (277.2).
Some other defences, like the 2023 Baltimore Ravens, also had stats that topped this Texans team, such as sacks with a whopping 60, but they lacked in other areas (barely top-15 in rushing), which this Texans team still thrived.
However, the Browns immediately get tossed out of the top defence of the 2020s debate as they let up 21.3 points per game. Now it comes down to the 2021 Bills and 2025 Texans - both eerily similar.
That Bills team gave up 17.0 points per game (1st) and 289 total points. The Texans gave up 17.4 (2nd) and 295 total points. Buffalo forced 30 turnovers, Houston 29. It's neck-and-neck.
Stick with me for a bit. Let's keep going.
Houston tied with the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks this season with 47 sacks - sixth most in the NFL - while the Bills put up 42 in 2021. What makes that even more impressive is that the Texans currently rank 28th in blitz percentage, meaning only four teams blitzed less than they did this season.
The 2025 Texans defence is also more balanced than that Bills' defence was.
The squad down south was the No. 4 rushing defence and No. 6 passing defence this season; the 2021 Bills were No. 13 in rushing, No. 1 in passing.
Speaking of that specific rushing stat for the Bills, they gave up 19 rushing touchdowns in 2021, which ranked in the top-five for most in the league. This Texans defence? 13 rushing touchdowns - tied for the seventh-fewest.
But the 2021 Bills pass defence ultimately comes out on top, leading in opponent completion percentage (56% - 59.3%), passing touchdowns (12 - 20), and even stats such as penalties (102 - 111) and third-down percentage (30.8% - 36.2%).
However, the real results go beyond the stats. In fact, players know what the Texans are going to bring. Yet, the entire season, teams can't find ways to drastically overcome it either.
So let's go into the details of who they've faced...
Who did they face?
So we got the basic stats out of the way. But they don't tell the whole story, do they? Let's compare who they faced as they would go on to finish with the stats they do by the end of the regular season.
Buffalo faced five top 10 offences in 2021 (Patriots x2), coming away with a 2-3 record, being outscored 129-123, and giving up at least 20 points in four of those five games. They would face 10 different offences that fell outside the top 20 in scoring that season, with the two middle-ground teams being the Tennessee Titans (15th), who they lost 34-31 to, and the New Orleans Saints (19th), who they beat 31-6.
So, overall, in 2021, the Bills went 3-4 against offences in the top 20, proving that they either faced great offensive competition, which more often than not resulted in a loss, or they faced the worst scoring offences in the NFL, helping to inflate their stats.
This is where the Texans truly show why they're the best defence of the current decade.
During the regular season, Houston only faced five offences outside of the top 20 in scoring, compared to the Bills' 10 back in 2021. The Texans also faced eight offences in the top 10 in scoring, compared to the Bills' five, four of which came within the AFC South division between the Colts and Jaguars.
So how'd the Texans fare?
Of the top-10 scoring offences they faced eight times this season, in six of those games, they held their opponent under 20 points - the 2021 Bills defence only managed to do that once in their five games. Not only that, but they came out with a winning record of 5-3 in those battles as well, compared to the Bills' 3-4 record.
Case closed right then and there - the 2025 Houston Texans defence is the best of the decade.
But will that win them a Super Bowl? That's the real question.
Texans Super Bowl chances
The Steelers barely crawled into the playoffs, getting lucky off a Tyler Loop missed 44-yard field goal, proving what all their fans thought was going to happen - a one-and-done scenario.
Now, the real test begins against a Patriots team that boasts a No. 8 defence that put a hurting on Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert for six sacks and only 207 total yards of offence.
Los Angeles had the No. 5 defence themselves and got to Patriots quarterback, and MVP-candidate, Drake Maye five times. Now they're up against the No. 1 Houston Texans defence? Don't go riding the Pats to victory just yet.
They were a team that didn't face a single top-10 scoring defence all season long until their Wild Card game against the Chargers and now they're up against the true beasts of the NFL.
The only question mark is - can their offence do just enough to help? Well...
Quarterback C.J. Stroud looked absolutely lost most of the game against the Steelers - a defence that ranked 29th in passing. He finished with an 86.7 passer rating, after throwing for 250 yards, one touchdown, and one interception, while taking three sacks and losing two fumbles (having five total fumbles).
That kind of play from your quarterback can cost any team a game in any given week. He got thrown a bone when his rushing attack bailed him out, going 164 yards on 5.3 yards per carry.
Hilariously enough, that was supposed to be the one thing the Steelers' defence was semi-good at - they ranked 13th in rushing.
After the Texans' 0-3 start, in which Stroud averaged 199 passing yards with two touchdowns, three interceptions, and a rough 79.4 passer rating, they would go on to lose just twice in the next 14 games, going 12-2.
Now, they currently ride the best winning streak in the NFL with nine-straight wins, having scored at least 20 in seven of them. In the first eight games of the season before the win streak? The Texans had scored 20 or more points in five of them.
What's the most important note of the Texans' nine-game win streak is that it started with four straight wins without Stroud. Backup QB Davis Mills took the reigns, even leading them to a 39-point win over the Jaguars, which kick-started what would become the win streak to end the regular season.
More importantly, three of those four wins came against the Jaguars, Bills, and Colts - all top 10 scoring offences, two of which made the playoffs in the AFC.
Texans on the road to replicating former champions
Fans don't have to look too far for the last defence who allowed the fewest yards per game to win a Super Bowl. In fact, they just have to rewind to last year with the Philadelphia Eagles, who allowed 278.4 yards per game, less than one more yard on average than this Texans' team.
Do the Texans have the offence that Eagles team had? No. Not even close.
And that's where the kicker lies.
Can the Texans' defence carry them to a Super Bowl? The answer to that is a resounding yes.
Maye and company may have the home field advantage, but they haven't faced anything on the level of the Texans' defence this season. Could they win? Sure. It's the NFL, any given Sunday.
Over on the other side of the AFC, the Texans have already proven they can beat the Bills, and that was without Stroud. Even more so, they were the only defence in the NFL all year to hold quarterback Josh Allen to zero touchdowns while also forcing him to commit multiple turnovers.
The Broncos could be the one team that stands in their way. One with a defence that falls just behind them at No. 2 in yards allowed per game (278.2) and points per game (18.3), all while leading the league with 68 sacks.
But one thing their defence does that the Texans excel in is turnovers - the Broncos are tied for the fourth-fewest in the league (14).
However, the most eye-popping stat may be something I haven't even mentioned yet.
The Texans have allowed the fewest first downs in the entire league with just 276, yet have the eighth-most allowed on penalties (34). Ironically enough, the Broncos lead that category with 43 penalties for first down (rank sixth in fewest first downs allowed with 299).
Final stats rundown
So let's run down, one last time, all the stats for the 2025 Texans and their ranks after their tough season - placing in the top seven in every single stat except two:
Points allowed per game: 17.4 (2nd)
Total yards per game: 277.2 (1st)
Pass yards per game: 183.5 (6th)
Pass yards total: 3,120 (6th)
Passer rating: 76.2 (3rd)
Completion percentage: 59.3% (3rd)
Pass yards per completion: 6.5 (7th)
Passing touchdowns: 20 (t-6th)
Interceptions forced: 29 (t-3rd)
Sacks forced: 47 (t-6th)
Rush yards per game: 93.7 (4th)
Rush yards per attempt: 4.0 (t-6th)
Rush yards total: 1,593 (4th)
Rush touchdowns total: 13 (t-6th)
Rush first downs: 80 (1st)
Rush first down percentage: 20% (2nd)
Turnovers forced: 29 (3rd)
Receptions: 319 (7th)
Receiving touchdowns: 20 (t-7th)
Receiving yards: 3,486 (7th)
Receiving yards per game: 205.1 (t-7th)
Third-down percentage: 36.2% (6th)
Fourth-down percentage: 47.6% (7th)
First downs allowed: 276 (1st)
One of two stats the Texans didn't rank in the top seven in was receiving yards per reception, which was 11.0 - first was the Seahawks at 9.7 with 14 other teams placing between 10.0 and 10.9 - and red zone defence, which ranked 12th (54.35%).
So can the Houston Texans bulldoze their way to a Super Bowl - they absolutely can. Will they? That's up to them.