Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

‘They Could Be Very Scary’ – NFL Analyst Names the AFC Team That Could Light Up the Postseason!

The Texans have the league's best defense and can cause plenty of problems if they make it to the playoffs

Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

At the start of the 2025-26 NFL season, there was very little to no hope for the Houston Texans this year. After starting the season with a loss to the Los Angeles Rams in Week 1, the Texans quickly fell to 0-3 before winning two games on the trot.

Even then, Houston fell to 3-5 in its first 8 games and never looked like a playoff-contending team. The wide receiver room has been without one of its most prolific players in Tank Dell, who has been out since November 2024 after he suffered a devastating knee injury.

Add to that quarterback C.J. Stroud missed three games due to a concussion, and suddenly the Texans seemed to be in deep trouble. However, ever since their loss to the Broncos in Week 9, the Texans have gone on a 6-game winning streak that includes wins over the Jaguars, Bills, Colts, and Chiefs.

Battle tested. pic.twitter.com/563NgOaYcN
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) December 15, 2025

Houston Texans Dominant Defense

The Houston Texans are currently on a 6-game win streak, and much of their success starts with the defense. Houston’s ability to get to the quarterback with a dominant four-man rush allows its linebackers and the secondary to maintain tight coverage.

Moreover, in Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr., Houston has arguably the best one-two punch from the edge in the NFL. In fact, Hunter leads the team with 12 sacks from 14 games thus far, while Anderson is not too far behind on 10.5 sacks himself. This attacking duo hands the AFC South franchise a massive boost on the defensive side of the ball.

As a result, Houston has been able to hold teams such as the Bills, Colts, and Chiefs to just 19, 16, and 10 points on offense. Meanwhile, the Texans’ offense has also found its rhythm, and the team reeled off 3 of its 6 consecutive wins even without C.J. Stroud under center.

Matt Ryan Likes Texans’ Chances in the Playoffs

In addition to the Texans starting to peak at the right moment, the AFC has not been so open in recent years as it is this time around. Multiple big teams are out of the postseason, while a couple more could follow them out. That is going to leave teams like the Texans and Jaguars an excellent chance at wreaking havoc in the playoffs.

Former NFL quarterback turned analyst Matt Ryan touched upon the very same, while also mentioning that top players such as Patrick Mahomes and Joe Burrow will no longer be in the way during the postseason. Additionally, the Texans also match up well against the Bills, having won consecutive games against Buffalo in 2024 and earlier this season.

“Currently, right now in the AFC, Joe Burrow is not in the playoffs,” said Ryan following the Texans’ win over the Cardinals in Week 15. “Patrick Mahomes isn’t in the playoffs. Lamar Jackson’s currently not in the playoffs. And you’ve had Josh Allen’s number every time you’ve played him.”

Matt Ryan on the Houston Texans on @NFLonCBS :

“Joe Burrow’s not in the playoffs, Patrick Mahomes isn’t in the playoffs, Lamar Jackson’s currently not in the playoffs & you’ve had Josh Allen’s number every time you’ve played him. This is a scary team. It could be scary.” pic.twitter.com/4czlvQB6ge
— Houston Stressans (@TexansCommenter) December 15, 2025

If the Texans can maintain their offensive production or even improve upon it, they have an excellent chance of upsetting some teams in the playoffs, particularly with the defense they possess. Through the first 14 games of the season, Houston has the number one scoring defense in the league, allowing just 16.3 points per game.

Of course, playoff teams can expect to score more than that, but even then, this Houston defense has all the makings to keep things competitive. The only real question will be whether or not the offense can match that.

Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

Houston Texans

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Devavrat Kulkarni

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I am a content writer for the NFL team, and joined The Playoffs after working with Sportskeeda and NFL Analysis as an NFL writer. After starting my professional career as a French-to-English translator, working as a content writer is a new adventure for me. I started out in the sports media field for two main reasons: my love for sports in general, especially the NFL, NBA, and Tennis, as well as my passion for writing. The best part of this job is that I get to write a variety of pieces with the freedom to explore content from various angles. It also enables me to stay up to date with the sporting world, which otherwise can be difficult to do in the day-to-day grind. In a world full of chaos, sports unite and entertain like nothing else!