The Houston Texans are on a roll. They have won five in a row, with the latest win coming against the Kansas City Chiefs on the road, 20-10. Their offense has found enough to win games, but this team is undoubtedly led by its defense. The Texans' defense has allowed 20 or more points only twice this season. They are one of the best defensive units in the NFL and with them leading the way, the Texans have gotten back into the AFC South and playoff races after a 0-3 start to the season. So, assuming the Texans make the playoffs, how good could they be in a playoff scenario? Well, one legendary defense comes to mind.
The 2000 Baltimore Ravens defense was unreal. They had Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Lewis in the middle of that defense, along with Tony Siragusa clogging up the middle as an interior defensive lineman. They also had good corners in Duane Starks and Chris McCallister, a cornerback turned safety, in veteran Rod Woodson, and Rod Burnett up front, bringing pressure. This defense would only give up 10.3 points per game, which is incredible to think of in this day and age of football. The offense did not have to do much for the Ravens to win the Super Bowl because the defense was just that good.
Flipping it back to the Texans, their defense is really, really good. They have two pass rushers people have to worry about, two really good corners, good safety play and their linebackers are solid. At times, they can have issues stopping the run, but not enough to be consistently hurt in that area all season. They can beat you with their pass rush or their secondary and they have versatile pieces all across the board. This defense can be Super Bowl-worthy. They are not Baltimore Ravens-level incredible, but in this day and age, they can create turnovers and make the best offenses uncomfortable. For example, they held the Los Angeles Rams, who average 29.2 points per game this season, to 14 points in this season's matchup. Against all AFC South opponents this season, they have also gone 7-2 so far, only giving up an average of 14.66 points per game.
The Texans' defense is not the same as the Baltimore Ravens' defense. They cannot enter that stratosphere at this time. But what they can do is mimic the Ravens defense some, and with there not being but one team to even throw out as dominant in the New England Patriots, the Texans have as good a chance as anyone to march through the playoffs on the strength of that defense. That is just how good they are. And if they can do that, they can then put themselves in the pantheon of memorable defenses to win a championship.