Houston’s defense has new edge

HOUSTON (AP)—Houston’s defense has a new attitude. Some might call it confidence, but the Texans prefer to call it something else.

“You have to have the swagger when you step on the field that you’re going to get it done, you’re going to go make big plays to get off the field,” linebacker DeMeco Ryans(notes) said.

It’s a feeling that’s growing each week as this group improves and Houston keeps winning. On Sunday, they’ll see if their newfound swagger can help at Indianapolis, a place where they’ve never won.

“This is the game we’ll be judged on as a defense,” cornerback Dunta Robinson(notes) said. “So many times you see the Colts go out there and play a team that’s been playing well and score 30 or 40 points. If we want to be the type of defense that we think we are and that we know we can be, we’ve got to go out and make a statement.”

The group had a rough start, particularly against the run, and allowed an NFL-worst 205 yards rushing a game in the first three games. They’ve turned it around since then, giving up about 58 yards a game through their last five.

The defense was key in Houston’s 31-10 win over Buffalo on Sunday. The group allowed just 7 points off three first quarter turnovers and shut out the Bills after halftime.

Houston’s veterans said having more playmakers on defense has allowed them to play with more confidence.

“We’re playing a lot better—all 11 guys,” Robinson said. “In previous years maybe two, three, four guys max on the defense were making plays. But now it’s everybody. So that’s kind of a different feeling. I’ve never been in that situation where all 11 guys are out there making plays.”

The unit has been helped by the emergence of rookie linebacker Brian Cushing(notes), who earned his second AFC defensive player of the week honor this week. He leads the team and all rookies with 66 tackles, has two interceptions and two forced fumbles.

Other newcomers to the unit are end Antonio Smith and tackle Shaun Cody(notes). The pair have joined first-round picks Mario Williams(notes) and Amobi Okoye(notes) to shore up Houston’s defensive front.

“Antonio seems to be getting better every week for our football team so that’s very encouraging,” coach Gary Kubiak said. “We all played very good up front (Sunday) and he was the leader of the pack. Shaun Cody continues to get better too.”

The secondary has improved in recent weeks with Robinson warming up after missing training camp, cornerback Jacques Reeves(notes) and safety Eugene Wilson(notes) returning from injuries, and the addition of safety Bernard Pollard(notes).

The players also think they’ve improved because they didn’t point fingers during their early-season struggles. Each player simply figured out what he was doing wrong and fixed it.

“Everybody is confident in their abilities and that swagger just comes from being accountable and everybody doing their job,” Ryans said. “When you know that guys are going to line up and do their job it’s easy to go out and play with swagger because you’re only worried about what you have to do, you’re not worried that those guys are going to be wrong or they may mess a play up.”

They’ll get to see how much they’ve improved against the undefeated Colts and their NFL-best passing game. Peyton Manning(notes) threw for 567 yards and four scores in two meetings with Houston last season.

“We’ve got to get to him,” Robinson said. “We’ve got to get pressure on him and we’ve got to get off the field on third downs. The best way to beat this team is keep this offense off the field and that’s what we have to do.”