Texans’ Defense Drew Super Bowl Praise-But Offensive Turnovers Told a Different Story
As the curtain falls on the 2025 NFL season, the Houston Texans find themselves in familiar company-one of 31 teams left wondering what could’ve been. While the Seattle Seahawks are hoisting the Lombardi Trophy after their Super Bowl LX win over the New England Patriots, Houston is heading into the offseason with a bitter taste, knowing just how close they were to being in that spotlight themselves.
And they weren’t the only ones who saw it that way.
During Super Bowl coverage, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan offered a telling comparison that turned heads. “I think there were two Super Bowl defenses this year,” he said.
“Seattle and Houston. When I say that, it means they’re capable of winning all on their own if the other side of the ball, special teams and offense, don’t mess it up.”
That’s high praise coming from a coach who’s seen both squads up close. Shanahan’s 49ers dropped games to both the Seahawks and the Texans during the regular season-so when he talks about elite defenses, he’s not speaking in hypotheticals. He’s speaking from experience.
Houston's defense was a force all year, and in many ways mirrored the blueprint Seattle used to win it all: fast, physical, and opportunistic. But where the Seahawks complemented their defense with mistake-free football on offense, the Texans couldn’t quite match that formula when it mattered most.
Seattle didn’t turn the ball over once in the postseason. That’s not just impressive-it’s championship-level discipline.
Meanwhile, Houston’s offense, led by standout rookie-turned-star quarterback C.J. Stroud, struggled to take care of the football in the playoffs.
And in January, that’s the kind of detail that can derail even the strongest teams.
In their playoff loss to New England, the Texans turned the ball over five times. Stroud threw four interceptions, and running back Woody Marks fumbled deep in Patriots territory during a promising drive.
Against a Bill Belichick-coached defense, those kinds of mistakes are fatal. And they were.
It’s tough to win any game with five turnovers, let alone a playoff game against a perennial contender. The Texans defense did everything it could to keep the team in it, but eventually, the dam broke. The offense’s miscues were simply too much to overcome.
Shanahan’s words carry weight. He’s been to the Super Bowl twice as a head coach and knows what a championship-caliber roster looks like.
He saw it in Houston’s defense. And that’s what stings most for Texans fans-the idea that the hardest part of the equation might already be solved.
The defense was good enough to go the distance. The offense, on the other hand, couldn’t hold up its end of the bargain.
Now, with the 2026 offseason underway, the mission is clear. The Texans don’t need to overhaul everything-they need to tighten up the offense, especially when the stakes are highest.
Stroud’s talent is undeniable, but ball security has to be a priority moving forward. The margin for error in January is razor-thin, and Houston learned that the hard way.
The foundation is there. The defense has earned its stripes. But if the Texans want to be the ones celebrating next February, the offense has to match that level-because in today’s NFL, even the best defenses can only carry you so far.