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| Texans Defensive Ends Will Anderson Jr. (51) and Danielle Hunter (55) know that they are in for a fight when they face the Buffalo Bills |
With the Houston Texans set to take on the Buffalo Bills in their season opener this Sunday, the main topic on all sports shows will be how the defense has to stop quarterback Josh Allen, who many NFL analysts have as a candidate for MVP this season.
Allen, who passed for 3,668 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions while leading his team to a 12-5 record and a postseason appearance last season, should always be the top priority for any team he faces.
Houston has already shown they can make life difficult for Allen, sacking him eight times, intercepting him twice, and forcing three Bills turnovers in a 23-19 Week 12 victory over the Bills.
Yet, the same questions surrounding that 2025 matchup against Allen are the same conversation to be had in the season opener.
How do the Texans contain him?
How do they keep him in the pocket?
How do they stop one of the most dangerous quarterbacks in football from taking over the game?
All of those questions are valid when it comes to Allen, but he isn’t the only player who deserves special attention when the Bills offense is on the field.
If Allen is the No. 1 priority, then running back James Cook III, who led the NFL in rushing yards last season with 1,621 yards on 309 carries, is 1A.
“James Cook is an exceptional player,” said Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans when asked about the dynamic running back out of Buffalo. “He led the league in rushing last year, not to surprise anyone. This guy is a very impressive runner. When you talk about him, he’s trying to stretch the defense horizontally, and when he puts a foot in the ground, he’s trying to go vertical and trying to see who was not in their proper gap.
“If you’re not there, he’s going to make you pay with explosive runs, and that’s how they generate most of their explosive runs. It’s when someone is not exactly where they’re supposed to be. You have to play very sound. You have to build a wall up front. You have to set edges. It’s all hands on deck to stop James Cook. It starts there. He’s an exceptional player. He’s going to deserve a lot of attention, which he should because the guy is impressive to watch.”
In their Week 12 matchup last season, Cook rushed for 116 yards and one touchdown on 17 carries, but the final stats do not tell the entire story.
Although the defense allowed the fifth-year running back from Clemson to rush for over 100 yards, with most of it coming in the first quarter when he broke away from defenders for a 45-yard touchdown run and finished the period with six carries for 62 yards, Houston’s defense came to life in the remaining three quarters, limiting him to 54 yards rushing on 11 carries.
For them to have a repeat performance against Cook, they’ll have to play with the same high intensity that made them one of the best defenses in the NFL last season and stay aware of where he is at all times.
The Texans’ defensive front has to win early downs, maintain gap discipline, and tackle Cook before he reaches the second level.
“Making sure you are on your ‘P’s and ‘Q’s, said Texans defensive back and team captain Jalen Pitre about not allowing Cook to have a big day. “Making sure that everyone is in their correct gap and when it’s time to tackle you have to bring it.”
Last season, the Texans’ defense allowed only 93.7 rushing yards per game, ranking fourth in the NFL.
With the ability to control the line of scrimmage with four defensive linemen led by the tandem of NFL First-Team All-Pro defensive end Will Anderson Jr. and Second-Team All-Pro Danielle Hunter, it could be another long outing for both Allen and Cook.
“Never seen anything like Will and Danielle, and I’m happy they’re on my side,” said Coach Ryans about his defensive ends. “It’s fun when you game plan, and you have those two guys; we can put more on those guys because they’re two of the best pass rushers in the league, and everybody doesn’t have that luxury.
“We put a lot on those guys and we know teams are game planning for those guys because if you don’t, they’re very disruptive and they can wreck a game. We try to do our best to move those guys around, put them in different positions to be successful, but what a blessing it is to have Will and Danielle on your side. It makes me such a better coach.”