HOUSTON (AP) — The Houston Texans wrapped up the best defensive season in franchise history with a win over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.
Now the Texans (12-5) will look to build on that stellar performance when they open the playoffs next Monday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Houston’s ferocious defense, led by stars Will Anderson Jr., Danielle Hunter and Derek Stingley held teams to 17.3 points and 277.2 yards per game this season to set franchise marks in both categories.
“Our defense did a really nice job throughout the entire year,” coach DeMeco Ryans said. “Limiting points, specifically, that’s what makes you a good defense.”
Their consistent defensive play helped them overcome losing quarterback C.J. Stroud to a concussion for four games midseason and rally from an 0-3 start to make the postseason for a third straight season.
Hunter finished third in the NFL with 15 sacks, which ranked second in his career behind the 16 ½ sacks he had in 2023 for the Vikings. He had 54 tackles, including 15 tackles for loss, 22 quarterback hits, three passes defensed, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.
Anderson tied for fourth in the NFL with a career-high 20 tackles for loss and set career bests with 54 tackles, 12 sacks, 23 quarterback hits, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. The 2023 AP Defensive Rookie of the Year also scored his first career touchdown on a fumble recovery this season.
Stingley, an All-Pro last season, became the fourth player in franchise history to have at least 15 passes defensed in consecutive seasons. The fourth-year player also tied for the team lead with four interceptions, including his first career interception return for a touchdown.
Houston’s 19 interceptions were tied for third in the NFL and third most in franchise history.
While Ryans is proud of the work of his defense, he’s looking for the unit to clean up some things after giving up some big plays in recent weeks, including passing plays of 66- and 53-yards Sunday.
“We didn’t end the year well defensively,” Ryans said. “When it comes to giving up explosive plays, it really wasn’t good enough defensively. So, we’ve got to do a much better job if we want to advance and play longer in the playoffs … (because) it didn’t end how it should have.”
Anderson agreed and said the defense needs to execute better if the Texans hope to advance in the playoffs.
“Coach DeMeco talked about being consistent and being dependable,” Anderson said. “We have to do that for this run that we’re going to have to go on.”
Along with the defense, a strength of the team this season has been the consistent performance of kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn. He made six field goals Sunday to set a career high and tie a franchise record for most field goals in a game. He made 44 field goals this season, which is tied with David Akers (2011) for most field goals made in a season in NFL history.
He made 44 of 48 field-goal attempts and each of his 28 extra point attempts. His 51-yard field goal Sunday gave him 51 field goals 50 yards or longer, which is the third most among active kickers.
The Texans went 2 of 3 on red zone opportunities Sunday in a game where quarterback C.J. Stroud and many other starters only played until halftime. But the team has struggled in that area throughout the season and ranks 30th in the NFL by scoring touchdowns on just 46.30% of its red zone trips.
DT Tommy Togiai returned a fumble 17 yards for a touchdown on the last play of the game Sunday to secure the victory and become the third defensive tackle in franchise history to return a fumble for a touchdown. He also had four tackles, including one for a loss against the Colts.
“He’s a coach’s dream,” Ryans said. “He’s always in the right place, always doing what you ask him to do. Very cool way for him to have that clutch moment and end the game with a touchdown.”
S K’Von Wallace had a holding penalty on a punt and a 30-yard pass interference penalty on Sunday.
CB Kamari Lassiter missed Sunday’s game with ankle and knee injuries and it’s unclear if he’ll be ready to play against the Steelers. … RB Jawhar Jordan left Sunday’s game with an ankle injury.
9 — Sunday’s win was Houston’s ninth straight, which ties the longest winning streak in franchise history.
12 — The Texans’ 12 wins ties the franchise record for most wins in a regular season. The 2012 team went 12-4 in a 16-game season.
The Texans look to eliminate their recent defensive lapses and build on the strong first half they had on offense Sunday when they travel to meet the Steelers.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Riley Leonard, right, is pressured by Houston Texans defensive end Danielle Hunter (55) as he tries to throw during the first half of an NFL football game in Houston, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Houston Texans defensive end Will Anderson Jr. (51) wears the Pro Bowl logo on his helmet before an NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts in Houston, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s White House ballroom won final approval from a key agency on Thursday, despite a federal judge recently ordering a halt to construction unless Congress allows what would be the biggest structural change to the American landmark in more than 70 years.
The 12-member National Capital Planning Commission, the agency tasked with approving construction on federal property in the Washington region, went ahead with the vote because U.S. District Judge Richard Leon’s ruling — which came two days earlier — affects construction activities but not the planning process, said the commission's Trump-appointed chair, Will Scharf.
A vote of 8-1, with two commissioners voting present and one absent, allowed the plan to move forward.
Despite the agency’s approval, however, the judge’s ruling and a legal fight over the ballroom could stall progress on a legacy project that Trump is racing to see completed before the end of his term in early 2029. It’s among a series of changes the Republican president is planning for the nation’s capital to leave his lasting imprint while he’s still in office.
Before the vote, Scharf, a top White House aide, noted that Leon's order has been stayed for two weeks as the administration seeks an appeal. He said, as he understood the decision, it “really does not impact our action here today.”
Reading from notes, Scharf also delivered an impassioned defense of the project that reviewed the full history of the White House — including changes and additions that were criticized at the time they were made but have become beloved with the passage of time. He spoke about the addition of the north and south porticos and the balcony added by President Harry Truman.
Scharf suggested that Trump’s proposed ballroom will similarly come to be viewed as a wise addition — despite drawing contemporary opposition from some members of the public and government officials.
“I believe that, in time, this ballroom will be considered every bit of a national treasure as the other key components of the White House,” Scharf said.
Scharf also said the proposed ballroom has been viewed negatively because of opposition to Trump, instead of the merits, saying, “I feel that we’ve been unfairly slighted in the press and otherwise for the way we’ve gone about reviewing this particular project.”
The vote by the commission, which includes three members Trump gets to appoint, had initially been scheduled for March but was postponed to Thursday because so many people signed up to comment at the commission’s meeting last month. The comments were overwhelmingly opposed to the ballroom.
The lone “no” vote was cast by Phil Mendelson, a Democrat who chairs the Council of the District of Columbia. Linda Argo and Arrington Dixon, the two commissioners appointed by Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, voted present.
Mendelson criticized the design of the ballroom addition and how fast it was approved.
“It’s just too large,” he said.
Criticism also came from Public Citizen, a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization. One of its attorneys, Jon Golinger, said the commission had discounted opposition from city officials and thousands of people who commented against the project, and ignored the judge's ruling. Several commissioners, including Scharf, had said they took the public feedback seriously.
“This approval is illegitimate and this vote is a joke," Golinger said.
White House spokesperson Davis Ingle, commended the “decision to approve President Trump’s historic vision to build a much need ballroom at the White House.”
“We look forward to seeing the completion of this project on time and under budget," Ingle said in a statement.
Before voting, the commission considered some design changes to the 90,000-square-foot (8,400-square-meter) ballroom addition that the president announced aboard Air Force One on Sunday, as he flew back to Washington from a weekend at his Florida home.
He removed a large staircase on the south side of the building and added an uncovered porch to the west side. Architects and other critics of the project had panned the staircase as too large and basically useless since there was no way to enter the ballroom at the top.
A White House official said the president had considered comments from the National Capital Planning Commission and another oversight entity, the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, which approved the project earlier this year, as well as members of the public.
The official, who was not authorized to publicly discuss the ballroom design and spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that additional “refinements” had been made to the building’s exterior.
The ballroom, now estimated to cost $400 million, has expanded in scope and price tag since Trump first announced the project last summer, citing a need for space other than a tent on the lawn to host important guests. Trump demolished the East Wing in October with little warning, and site preparation and underground work have been underway since then.
Two other Trump-appointed commissioners, Stuart Levenbach and James Blair, voted for the project.
Levenbach, who serves as vice chairman and is the federal government’s chief statistician, said the White House is currently “not suited” to accommodate large numbers of guests and that the addition will improve the “utility” of the compound.
He said tunnels and other structures underground at the White House made it impossible to place many features of the ballroom there, too, as some have suggested might be possible. Levenbach said the addition is a “multipurpose facility,” noting that, in addition to a ballroom, it will also have offices for the first lady, kitchen space and a theater.
“This is not an expansion for its own sake,” Levenbach said.
Blair, a deputy to White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, said visitors and guests of the president deserve a “better experience."
Scharf and Blair also said Trump will get “very limited use” of the ballroom before his term ends.
Trump went ahead with the project before seeking input from the National Capital Planning Commission and the Commission of Fine Arts, which he reconstituted with allies and supporters.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a private nonprofit organization, sued after Trump demolished the East Wing last fall to build the ballroom addition — a space nearly twice as big as the mansion itself.
Trump says it will be paid for with donations from wealthy people and corporations, including him, though public dollars are paying for underground bunkers and security upgrades.
The trust sought a temporary halt to construction until Trump presented the project to both commissions and Congress for approval. Leon agreed but said that his order would take effect in two weeks and that construction related to security would be allowed.
President Donald Trump answers questions from reporters after signing an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House Tuesday, March 31, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Work continues on the construction of the ballroom at the White House in Washington, Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)
President Donald Trump holds a rendering of the proposed new East Wing of the White House as he speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One en route from West Palm Beach, Fla., to Joint Base Andrews, Md., Sunday, March 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Work continues on the construction of the ballroom at the White House in Washington, Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)
President Donald Trump holds a rendering of the proposed new East Wing of the White House as he speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One en route from West Palm Beach, Fla., to Joint Base Andrews, Md., Sunday, March 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
