J.J. Watt, Texans Setting Stage for Surprising AFC South Title Push

Don't look now, but the Houston Texans are putting together a run that could net them an AFC South title. Many a publication had the Indianapolis Colts pegged as runaway winners of the South—some even went so far to pick them to win or at least participate in the Super Bowl—but recent events paint a much different picture.

The Texans extended their winning streak to four games in Week 12 with a convincing 24-6 rout of the New Orleans Saints. This win helped them keep pace with the rival Colts atop the AFC South, and the road to a division title looks wide open at this point.

Before we get into the logistics of them actually making the playoffs, consider the team's remaining schedule.

Week	Opponent	PTS/G	PTSA/G	Total Offense Ranking	Total Defense Ranking
13	@Bills	24.4	22.7	23	15
14	vs. Patriots	32.3	18.2	3	12
15	@Colts	22.4	24.8	21	25
16	@Titans	18.2	23.3	30	5
17	vs. Jaguars	21.1	26.8	24	17

The Texans would do better with another home game or two on their remaining schedule, but aside from their Week 14 matchup against the Patriots, Houston has four very winnable games left on the docket. What they do in those four games will depend largely on the play of their defense.

The Texans rank seventh in total defense, and 15th in scoring defense, per ESPN.com. Coming into the week, the Texans were allowing a 22.8 points per game. While that doesn't sound great, it's been on a steady downward trend over the last four weeks.

In said four weeks, the Houston faced three of the league's top-15 scoring offenses—two of those ranked in the top seven—and allowed a combined 35 points. 

Charles Krupa/Associated Press

The rest of the way, the Texans will face just two teams who rank in the top half of the NFL in scoring. The unit has been outstanding in recent weeks, and it's fair to assume it'll perform equally as well against some of the lackluster offenses it'll encounter over the remaining four weeks.

Today was a truly telling game for the Texans though. The defense stepped up big and held the league's seventh-best scoring offense to just six points and 268 yards of total offense.

The unit got after the quarterback and sacked Drew Brees twice, and also forced an interception, while holding the Saints to 3-12 on third-down attempts and 0-3 on trips to the red zone.

The Texans defense has been outstanding, and to no one's surprise the unit has been led by All-Pro defensive lineman J.J. Watt. Watt led the charge on defense in Week 12 and logged five tackles (three of the solo variety), and was responsible for seven quarterback hits, as well as the team's only two sacks.

Watt, in typically modest fashion, praised the coaching staff for their defensive effort against the Saints:

"

That's a very high-powered offense with a very good quarterback, very good coaching staff. I think it's a credit to our coaches for a good game plan. I think it's a credit to our guys, for executing it.

"

Watt has been on fire in recent weeks, but make no mistake, he, not the Texans coaching staff, is the biggest reason for the team's recent winning streak.

Nine-and-a-half sacks in five weeks is ridiculous production, even for one of the best players in the world. Somehow, this should be expected from Watt, though, and the University of Wisconsin product now looks like a good bet to eclipse the 20-sack mark and win Defensive Player of the Year honors for the second straight season.

The defense is of little concern, as Watt and the team's other defensive playmakers have proven up to the task. However, the offense is a definite point of concern.

The Texans aren't capable of putting up enough points to mask a defensive letdown. Even in their recent four-game winning streak, the Texans have averaged just 19.5 points per game on offense.

Fortunately, the squad got Brian Hoyer back for today's contest, and with even a semblance of competent quarterbacking the rest of the way—something Hoyer has proven capable of in the past—the Texans and their J.J. Wat-led defense should have a great shot at a division title here in 2015.

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