“Defense wins championships” - Houston Texans prove it by outscoring the Pittsburgh Steelers

It’s fair to say that the Texans’ mind-blowing 30-6 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the NFL wild-card round was something nobody saw coming, and after the game confidence was sky-high for the victors.

Following a game defined by defensive firepower, Texans safety Calen Bullock proudly declared that “the whole world knows” Houston’s defence is elite, showing a new level of swagger as they progress in the season.

The Texans’ defence dominated from start to finish, suffocating the Steelers’ offence and limiting them to just 175 total yards. Houston’s front seven applied relentless pressure on quarterback Aaron Rodgers, racking up four sacks and forcing two turnovers that were both returned for touchdowns, as well as forcing him into a 14.3 total QBR, his worst mark in 22 career playoff starts.

“Everybody knows we are the best defense, the whole world knows that”

It marked the rare moment in NFL playoff history where one team’s defence was directly responsible for all of its scoring, while allowing none of the opponent’s.

Bullock, whose interception return sealed the emphatic win, spoke with genuinely infectious confidence in the post-game locker room, emphasising his team’s standout quality. “Shoot, I think everybody knows we are the best defense,” he said. “The whole world knows that. Every time we go out there we show it and we went out there and showed it today. I don’t even think they scored a touchdown.”

Houston coach DeMeco Ryans echoed the feeling from his player, calling the defensive performance the “best in team history.”

“It was an outstanding defensive performance,” he added, visibly delighted. “One of the best that I’ve seen versus a really talented offense, a talented quarterback who played at a high level for a long time.”

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Now the Texans’ attention turns to the AFC divisional round, where they will travel to face the New England Patriots. Ahead of that matchup, Bullock’s confident declaration is likely to follow his team. Whether the “whole world” agrees will be put to the test again, this time against a Patriots squad that advanced with a solid defensive showing of their own.

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