Houston Texans: 5 reasons they’ll reach playoffs

2. Dominant Pass Rush

I honestly just have to put Jadeveon Clowney and J.J. Watt highlight reels here and my job would be done. The two are both monsters when it comes to disrupting the passing game. Going back to the last time they were both healthy for a full season, 2015, Houston’s stats speak for themselves. They had the ninth-best rushing defense in football plus the 6th best adjusted sack rate in the league. Since then though, Watt has been hurt, but as the leader of the defensive line, Clowney has gotten a lot better.

Last year, he helped carry the team to have the eighth-best rush defense and showed improvement in adjusted sack rate. The Texans adjusted sack rate increased 0.4% in 2017, growing as Clowney grew.

Clowney graded out to 75.4 grade from Pro Football Focus last year , while Watt has a grade of 86. They are two of the best players in the league when healthy and will wreak havoc along opposing offensive lines as it will be impossible to double team both of them.

Combine them with Whitney Mercilus attacking on the other edge, and the Texans defensive line will have quarterbacks on their heels all game. Mercilus continues to work on his craft and looks to be a strong pass rusher for the Texans once again after just playing five games last year. His 38.5 career sacks show his experience and skill getting after the quarterback.

Three talented pass-rushers is impossible to block and that is what will make the Texans defense so good this year.