The Houston Texans have now won six of their last eight games and will enter Lucas Oil Stadium in Week 13 on a three-game win streak after their 23-19 win over the Buffalo Bills Thursday night. The Texans are now 6-5 and knocking on the door of the 6-4 Jacksonville Jaguars, who currently hold the second place spot in the AFC South.
The Texans defense, once again proving why it's one of the best in the NFL, sacked Bills quarterback Josh Allen eight times (tying a franchise record), recorded two interceptions and held the Bills to just three points in the second half in the victory.
"Credit goes to, first and foremost, our defensive line 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," head coach DeMeco Ryans said. "When we do that, we're tough to move the ball against. So, our players are doing an outstanding job."
Backup quarterback Davis Mills, starting his third consecutive game, struggled to find a rhythm early in the game but locked in during the second quarter to lead three straight scoring drives before the half. Ryans said starting quarterback C.J. Stroud, who has missed three games with a concussion, returned to practice this week and is "ready to get back to football." Stroud must still clear concussion protocol in order to play against the Colts in Week 13.
The Texans offensive line had a strong game as well, not allowing a single sack and opening up lanes for running backs Woody Marks and Nick Chubb to scamper through. Marks finished the game with 16 carries for 74 yards, a massive contributor to the team's total of 108 rushing yards.
"I think when we can pound the rock and run the ball, it opens everything else up in the offense," Mills said. "Our guys did that successfully today. We really took the mentality in the game. That was our No. 1 key to victory as an offense this week from the coaches, was we need to find a way to run the football."
Will Anderson Jr. continued his impressive season with a team-high 2.5 sacks, three quarterback hits and two tackles for loss. Combined with Danielle Hunter, who had two sacks and also had three quarterback hits and two tackles for a loss, the two defensive ends wreaked havoc on Allen and the Bills throughout the night. Safety Calen Bullock was responsible for snagging both of Allen's interceptions, with the first resulting in a Texans field goal and the second effectively sealing the game in the fourth quarter.
"I think they're definitely the best defense in the NFL," Mills said. "After personal experience going against them the past couple years, those guys come to play every single day. They work as hard as they can every day when they're in the building, on the practice field. I think the way they work and the mentality they have, it shows up on gameday week-in and week-out. It makes it fun to be on the same team as those guys."
The Texans now have somewhat of a "mini bye" ahead of their game against the Colts next weekend; the Colts play the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday before returning home to Lucas Oil Stadium.
As for the other AFC South teams, the Jaguars play the Arizona Cardinals and the Tennessee Titans face off against the Seattle Seahawks this weekend.
