Texans Pass Rush Sets Brutal Tone Entering Patriots Game

Just how ferocious and relentless the Houston Texans pass rush has been thus far this season has really popped. When it's all said and done, it could wind up being the one dominant factor which helps power them all the way to the franchise's first-ever Super Bowl appearance.

Simply tap into any amount of game tape and you can't fail to be impressed by the manner by which Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr., in particular, don't just influence games; they're taking them over.

Despite their rivals being all too aware of what's coming at them, the herculean task of propelling the devastating attacks is another matter entirely: let's call it brutal poetry in motion.

“I'll leave that up to you with all the beautiful words that you have for us," Ryans told reporters. "If I had to describe our pass rush to someone who hasn't seen it before, I would just say… A lot of different terms. But I would say you're looking for four guys who… It's like four Tasmanian devils just wrecking everything that's in front of them. That's how I look at our guys."

"They are fast. They are physical. The way they get off the ball, the way they collapse the pocket, they're a terror. It's fun to watch those guys and that's what makes our defense go. Why are we able to rush four guys and play the way we play? It's not because I'm such a great coach. It's because we've got really great players up front. This game will always be about the players and those guys. They set the table for us, for our entire team.”

Nov 9, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans defensive end Danielle Hunter (55) and defensive end Will Anderson Jr. (51) celebrate after a sack during the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Texans' Defensive Prowess Starts With Commanding Pass Rush

Setting the table has mainly consisted of the stellar defense getting enough consistent pressure to ensure that the defense gets off the field on the money downs.

Truth is, it's not like New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel is somehow unaware of the predicament his offensive unit is facing this weekend.

"We're gonna go and play the game," Vrabel declared before facing the Texans. "That's what we're gonna do. We're gonna play the game. We're gonna enjoy it, just like we did last week. Again you have too many [£rd and longs], it's probably a bad thing. But if we find ourselves in those situations, then we'll have to just get ourselves out of them."

If Vrabel has unearthed any kind of cohesive aspect with which to attack this Texans defensive group, it may be lurking in the dying moments of the last game they lost against the Denver Broncos back in Week 9: when quarterback Bo Nix broke containment and scampered for 25 vital yards to set up the late game-winning field goal, the inherent dangers of leaving the door open on the cage rush were starkly driven home.

Very similarly to Nix, Patriots signal caller Drake Maye has a sneaky blend of strength and mobility at his disposal; nice intangibles which Ryans is being very watchful about.

"Where he's taking that next step is his ability to escape the pocket," Ryans noted of Maye. "I think it really doesn't get talked about much, but his athletic ability, his ability to escape the pocket, has been really clutch for them. He's made some big runs to really hurt a lot of defenses, so we have to be conscious of that."

DeMeco Ryans Keeping Defense Aware of Drake Maye, Patriots' Offense

Furthermore, the ability Maye has to keep plays alive with his legs allows Patriots longtime offensive guru Josh McDaniels to open up his playbook in ways that can get Ryans really thinking.

“I see a lot more flexibility within the offense with what Drake is able to do with his athletic ability," Ryans explained. "You'll see some zone read plays. You'll see on third down in the red zone, see him design some plays for him. We saw last week the pass out of the backfield. Even though he ran that against me in 2015 with [Tom] Brady, so I remember that play. I guess it doesn't matter about the athletic ability of the quarterback."

"I would say this, Josh, his ability to call plays and set things up, he's one of the better guys I've seen in the league that's doing it. He does a great job of calling plays, setting things up, getting guys in position, really straining your rules and what you do defensively. We're going to see a lot of things that we haven't seen before, and we have to trust and rely on our rules to get us through.”

As much as anything else, the Texans keeping especially disciplined in how they rush the passer may well provide the key to moving on in the playoffs; it's that important.

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