Houston, We Don't Have a Problem

The Houston Texans continue to surprise. At 8-1, tied at the top of the league standings with the Atlanta Falcons, I firmly believe they are the most complete team in the NFL. If last night showed anything, they have the best defense in the league. The Bears had been on an absolute tear until this week, not losing since Week 2, and the Texans completely shut them down. 2 huge interceptions, 2 huge forced and recovered fumbles, and eight total first downs. Eight!!! The Texans simply are just outworking, outmanning and being more physical than their opponents.

In such an ugly game, the one player whose work went unnoticed was Arian Foster. Foster continues to be the brute force for Houston, carrying the ball 29 times for 102 yards. With Ben Tate and a more power-oriented run game having to be put on hold, Foster continues to impress. In a statement game against a Bears defense that analysts had claimed were the best in the league, Foster put the exclamation point on the game.

The one other person that does not get enough credit is the evil genius himself, Wade Phillips. Over the last 2 seasons, Phillips turned a very mediocre defense, in which the secondary was absolutely shredded, into an absolute masterpiece. For the second straight year, a star defensive player has gone down. Last year it was Mario Williams, and this year it's Brian Cushing. But somehow the defense keeps rolling. Key signings from last year, Danieal Manning and Jonathan Joseph, have been lockdown in the secondary, while Tim Dobbins, Connor Barwin and Brooks Reed have been superb in their linebacker roles in the 3-4 scheme. But the defensive player of the year, the biggest game changer on the field at any time, has to be J.J. Watt. Watt has changed the way that offensive coordinators have to plan their attack, with Watt's quickness to get to the quarterback and ability to knock down countless passes. Watt has been an animal this year, and if he continues to play up to this level, he should definitely get some looks for MVP. The Texans still have 7 games left, but if they continue to play up to their potential and are able to run through a very weak AFC South, they should be the favorites to get to the Super Bowl.