Houston’s defense was in hot pursuit of Allen from start to finish, pressuring him 15 times (Anderson had nine team points while Hunter had six). The pressure up front wasn’t the only story, though, as Houston held the team to less than 20 points for the NFL championship in the eighth game of the season. The aforementioned eight sacks were not only a career worst for Allen, but also tied the Texans franchise record. In the process, Allen had 12 hits.
“I don’t like those stats at all,” Bills head coach Sean McDermott said of Allen’s struggles.
Anderson had three of those QB hits, along with six tackles, two tackles for loss and a huge pass breakup on third-and-1 on the final drive.
“Man, that motor,” Hunter told Prime Video’s Kaylee Hartung about what makes Anderson one of the best pass rushers in the game. “He’s got that motor and he’s got that mind. And he’s got that will in him. He’s got that dog in him. If something’s going on on the field, you can count on Will. He’s going to come hunt the quarterback.”
Although the run set the tone, safety Calen Bullock had perhaps the two biggest plays, picking up a pair of interceptions; the first came in the second quarter to preserve Houston’s one-point lead, then led to a field goal and a 13-9 lead. Bullock’s second field goal of the night clinched the win, as the Bills threatened to score a potential touchdown on a lucky Allen fourth-and-6 from the Texans’ 22.
“The thing that stood out to me, I mean, the way our D-line caught, obviously, it was great,” Texas head coach DeMeco Ryans said. “But Calen Bullock is the guy for me. The way Calen went out and intercepted the ball twice, you know, forced us into the zone there. So, my favorite play was the one that ended it. There was a lot of emotion going on on the sideline the whole drive, but for Calen to come down with that interception, that was my favorite play because it meant something.”
While quarterback Davis Mills deserves a lot of credit for coming off the bench and stepping up in relief of CJ Stroud, who has missed the last three games with a concussion, it’s the Houston defense that has been the foundation of the team and propelled it on its current three-game winning streak. Now 6-5, the Texans are back in the playoffs, currently in eighth place in the AFC with a huge Week 13 matchup against the first-place AFC South Indianapolis Colts.
“Man, we just gotta keep it up,” Anderson told Wyche. “One game at a time. We know what we want: playoffs, Super Bowl. But it’s all about us and how we’re executing and how we’re going to do the fundamentals.”
Entering Thursday, the Texans’ defense was No. 1 in points and yards allowed. It was tasked with stopping the reigning MVP and the NFL’s No. 1 offense. 4 in yards gained.
The Texans D definitely performed high on “TNF.”
“This team, we had a short week,” Anderson said. “And the preparation, the pressure was there all week, man. We were locked in, and that’s what secondary football looks like. Offense doing their thing, defense doing their thing, special teams doing their thing. We’re just playing as one.”