Texans Slowly Building One of the Best Defenses in the League

News ArticlePublishedAug 26, 2026 at 12:32 PM EDTThe Houston Texans may have something special brewing on defense.Even without several of their biggest stars on the field Thursday night, the unit still found a way to make life hard for the Las Vegas Raiders.Will Anderson Jr., Danielle Hunter, Derek Stingley Jr. and the rest of the starters from Houston's No. 1 total defense in 2025 were all watching from the sidelines. The Texans allowed just 277.2 total yards per game last season, and while the preseason isn't the same test, the defense showed that there may be lots of depth behind those established stars.More sports: 49ers’ Jacob Cowing Dubbed a ‘Winner’ in PreseasonThe Texans made an immediate impression against Raiders rookie quarterback Fernando Mendoza. Fourth-round rookie linebacker