Anderson’s strip sack marked his fourth straight game with a QB sack.
Meanwhile, Hunter was an unstoppable force, producing eight QB pressures, seven tackles, four QB hits, four tackles for loss, one forced fumble and tying his career high with 3.5 sacks. It was Hunter’s third game with two plus sacks and his sixth career game with three or more.
After putting the defense in unsavory situations early with several turnovers in the first quarter, the No. 1 defense in the league shut down the Jags’ late offense. Trailing 29-10 in the fourth quarter, Houston’s offense finally gained traction and the Texans’ defense didn’t allow Jacksonville to milk the clock with crucial back-to-back three-and-outs.
“As a coach, you want to teach things,” Ryans said. “You want to have a certain style of play and what it takes to win a game. When you see players go out and do it the way you’ve asked them to do, it’s encouraging. It’s exciting as a coach. That’s why you coach, to be able to get guys to see and do things they’re not allowed to do.
“It might not look good from the beginning, but that’s the belief I have in all these guys as their coach. I know they can do it. I know we have great players. I know we have a great team. I’m always encouraging and just asking them to, ‘Hey, let’s just do it the right way.’ Let’s do it the right way. Let’s do it the right way. This is what it looks like. When you just do what you’re supposed to do, you make the plays. It’s a fun movie to watch. Hopefully it’s a confidence boost for everyone. When you do it the right way, we can win a lot of games.”
The Texans allowed a season-high 29 points in a win over Jacksonville. Houston entered the week ranked No. 1 in scoring (15.1 PPG) and No. 1 in total defense (267.4 YPG). No team in the Super Bowl era has finished No. 1 in both scoring and total defense and missed the playoffs.
Going 4-5, the Texans currently sit in 9th place in the AFC. The Jags (5-4) are in the final wild-card spot entering Week 11.