Texans' defense shines with 8 sacks, 3 turnovers in win over Bills

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Texans' defense shines with 8 sacks, 3 turnovers in win over Bills

2025-11-22 01:05 Last Updated At：01:21

HOUSTON (AP) — Houston’s top-ranked defense found another level Thursday night to lead the Texans to their third straight win.

The Texans sacked Josh Allen a career-high eight times and Calen Bullock forced three turnovers, including an interception in the final seconds, to seal the 23-19 victory over the Buffalo Bills.

“The defense is playing outstanding,” coach DeMeco Ryans said. “Then credit goes to, first and foremost, our defensive line for the way they go out, the way those guys relentlessly rush the passer and everybody on the back end is playing sound and playing together. When we do that, we’re tough to move the ball against.”

Their defensive dominance has helped them put together a season-best winning streak despite missing quarterback C.J. Stroud for three games with a concussion. The Texans (6-5) moved above .500 for the first time this season, digging out of an early hole after opening 0-3.

Will Anderson Jr. had 2 ½ sacks to give him 10 ½ this season, and Danielle Hunter added two to give him 11, making them the fifth teammates in NFL history to each have 10 sacks in a team’s first 11 games.

Bullock, a third-round pick in 2024, had the best game of his career, becoming the second player in team history and the first since Marcus Coleman in 2003 to have two interceptions and force a fumble in a single game.

Bullock described his work Thursday.

“It was great performance,” he said with a big smile. “Thank God. Got to go out there Thursday night in front of the whole world and play a game like that. It can’t get no better than that.”

Ryans was very impressed with Bullock’s game.

“Calen Bullock is the guy for me,” Ryans said. “The way he went out and intercepted the ball two times, forced a fumble to get us in plus territory there. My favorite play is the one that ended it. A lot of emotions going on on the sideline through that entire drive. For Calen to come down with the interception, that was my favorite play because it meant it was over.”

Allen threw two interceptions without a TD pass to give the Texans 12 interceptions this season while allowing just 10 touchdown passes. Allen had a passer rating of 67.4 and the Texans have limited quarterbacks to a 72.2 passer rating average against them this season, which is the best mark in the NFL since the 2021 Bills.

Houston has had nine straight games with at least one sack and one turnover, which is the longest active streak in the NFL.

The Texans continue to lead the NFL in yards allowed (264.3) and points (16.5). They also have a knack for forcing turnovers and their 19 takeaways rank second in the NFL.

“Guys are just doing their job and everybody’s in the spots they need to be in,” Bullock said.

Playing with backup QB Davis Mills, the Texans had trouble moving the ball for most of the second half Thursday. They punted on four of their five second-half possessions, adding only a field goal after halftime as they relied on their defense to secure the win.

Houston was just 2 of 4 on red zone opportunities and converted only 2 of 12 third downs.

Anderson, the 2023 AP Defensive Rookie of the Year, continues to make huge plays every week. Thursday was his sixth straight game with at least one sack, tying him with Mario Williams for the longest streak in franchise history. Along with his 2 ½ sacks against the Bills, he also had six tackles, two tackles for loss, three quarterback hits and one pass defensed.

His performance Thursday gives him 28 ½ career sacks, moving him past Antonio Smith (27 1/2) for fifth-most in franchise history.

RB Nick Chubb, who started the team’s first eight games, has moved into a backup role in the last three games with rookie Woody Marks becoming Houston’s featured back. He had just six carries for 16 yards Thursday after running three times for 17 yards last week.

Stroud is likely to play next week after returning to practice this week before being ruled out for Thursday’s game. … S Jalen Pitre could also return for the next game after also missing three games after sustaining a concussion Nov. 2.

The Texans had eight sacks and forced three turnovers for the third time in franchise history and the first since last November against the Titans.

The Texans visit Indianapolis (8-2) on Nov. 30 in the first of two meetings with the AFC South leaders. After that they’ll travel to Kansas City for a Sunday night game on Dec. 7.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

Person of interest detained in Brown University shooting that killed 2 and wounded 9

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — A person of interest was in custody Sunday after a shooting during final exams at Brown University that killed two students and wounded nine others, though key questions remained unanswered nearly 24 hours after the attack.

The attack Saturday afternoon set off hours of chaos across the Ivy League campus and surrounding Providence neighborhoods as hundreds of officers searched for the shooter and urged students and staff to shelter in place. The lockdown, which stretched into the night, was lifted early Sunday, but authorities had not yet released information about a potential motive.

Col. Oscar Perez, the Providence police chief, said Sunday afternoon that the person in custody was in their 20s and that no one has been charged yet. Perez, who previously said the person was in their 30s and that no one else was being sought, declined to say whether the detained person had any connection to Brown.

The person was taken into custody at a Hampton Inn hotel in Coventry, Rhode Island, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) from Providence, where police officers and FBI agents remained Sunday, blocking off a hallway with crime scene tape as they searched the area.

The shooting occurred during one of the busiest moments of the academic calendar, as final exams were underway. Brown canceled all remaining classes, exams, papers and projects for the semester and told students they could leave campus, underscoring the scale of the disruption and the gravity of the attack.

As police scoured the area for the shooter, many students remained barricaded in rooms while others hid behind furniture and bookshelves. One video showed students in a library shaking and wincing as they heard loud bangs just before police entered the room to clear the building.

University President Christina Paxson teared up while describing her conversations with students both on campus and in the hospital.

“They are amazing and they’re supporting each other,” she said at a news conference. “There’s just a lot of gratitude.”

The gunman opened fire inside a classroom in the engineering building, firing more than 40 rounds from a 9 mm handgun, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press. Two handguns were recovered when the person of interest was taken into custody and authorities also found two loaded 30-round magazines, the official said. One of the firearms was equipped with a laser sight that projects a dot to aid in targeting, said the official, who was not authorized to discuss the investigation publicly and spoke to AP on the condition of anonymity.

One student of the nine wounded students had been released from the hospital, said Paxson. Seven others were in critical but stable condition, and one was in critical condition.

Durham Academy, a private K-12 school in Durham, North Carolina, confirmed that a recent graduate, Kendall Turner, was critically wounded. The school said her parents were with her.

“Our school community is rallying around Kendall, her classmates, and her loved ones, and we will continue to offer our full support in the days ahead,” the school said.

On Sunday evening, city leaders, residents and others gathered at a park to honor the victims. The event originally was scheduled as a Christmas tree and Hanukkah menorah lighting.

“For those who know at least bit of the Hanukkah story, it is quite clear that if we can come together as a community to shine a little bit of light tonight, there’s nothing better that we can be doing,” Mayor Brett Smiley said at a news conference earlier in the day.

Smiley said he visited some wounded students and was inspired by their courage, hope and gratitude. One told him that active shooting drills done in high school proved helpful.

“The resilience that these survivors showed and shared with me, is frankly pretty overwhelming,” he said.

Investigators were not immediately sure how the shooter got inside the first-floor classroom at the Barus & Holley building, a seven-story complex that houses the School of Engineering and physics department. The building includes more than 100 laboratories, dozens of classrooms and offices, according to the university’s website.

Engineering design exams were underway. Outer doors of the building were unlocked but rooms being used for final exams required badge access, Smiley said.

Emma Ferraro, a chemical engineering student, was in the lobby working on a final project when she heard loud pops. Once she realized they were gunshots, she darted for the door and into a nearby building where she waited for hours.

Surveillance video released by police showed a suspect, dressed in black, walking from the scene.

Eva Erickson, a doctoral candidate who was the runner-up earlier this year on the CBS reality competition show “Survivor,” said she left her lab in the engineering building 15 minutes before shots rang out.

The engineering and thermal science student shared candid moments on “Survivor” as the show’s first openly autistic contestant. She was locked down in the campus gym following the shooting and shared on social media that the only other member of her lab who was present was safely evacuated.

Brown senior biochemistry student Alex Bruce was working on a final research project in his dorm across the street from the building when he heard sirens outside.

“I’m just in here shaking,” he said, watching through the window as officers surrounded his dorm.

Brown, the seventh-oldest higher education institution in the U.S., is one of the nation’s most prestigious colleges, with roughly 7,300 undergraduates and more than 3,000 graduate students.

Ramer reported from Concord, New Hampshire. Associated Press journalists Jennifer McDermott in Providence and Alanna Durkin Richer and Mike Balsamo in Washington contributed.