It’s hard to accept that the Houston Texans are in third place in the AFC South.

It’s particularly baffling because the top defense in the NFL by statistical measures is Houston’s. And it’s even more inexplicable if you watched the Texans beat the Buffalo Bills 23–19 on Thursday night.

Houston pummeled reigning NFL MVP Josh Allen, sacking him eight times for 70 yards in losses, hitting him four additional times, and constantly putting him under duress.

This is the same Josh Allen who passed for three touchdowns and rushed for three scores in last Sunday’s victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Against Houston, Allen didn’t throw or run for a single touchdown as Buffalo scored just one offensive touchdown.

Allen probably hasn’t been beaten up this badly since he played for Firebaugh High off unbeaten paths in Central California. The last time Allen looked this confused was in high school when he had zero interest from major colleges. (Hey Josh, four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers also had to go the junior-college route.)

Allen was intercepted twice by Houston safety Calen Bullock, with the second pick coming with just 18 seconds to go at the Texans’ 9-yard line to seal the victory.

So, you see what a tough night Allen endured — and it’s crazy that the Texans are just 6–5, despite entering the contest ranked No. 1 in the NFL in scoring and total defense.

This contest was a full-on showcase for star defensive ends Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter.

Anderson had 2½ sacks and nearly added another, but the momentum of chasing Allen ended with the quarterback being tackled for a 2-yard gain.

Hunter had two sacks while making Allen’s night miserable. Hunter has 11 sacks on the season, and Anderson has 10.5.

“Credit goes to, first and foremost, our defensive line,” Houston coach DeMeco Ryans said. “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.”

The Texans weren’t spectacular on offense, but Davis Mills got the job done in his third straight start in place of C.J. Stroud (concussion). Mills threw two touchdown passes in the first half, helping Houston win for the sixth time in their past eight games.

Houston’s problem is clear: the team has scored just 72 points in its five losses. The defense has allowed more than 20 points in only one of those games. The Texans need better offensive production to crash the playoff field, though they still have two games left against AFC South-leading Indianapolis Colts.

As for the Bills, they are just 3–4 after starting the season with four consecutive wins, each scoring 30+ points. Since then, Buffalo has scored 20 or fewer points in all four losses. Two of those losses were particularly ugly — a 24–14 defeat to the Atlanta Falcons and a 30–13 loss to the Miami Dolphins.

Buffalo has two choices: exit the AFC race ingloriously with a late-season collapse, or protect Josh Allen better. Not every team rushes the passer like the Texans, but it only takes one fierce hit to knock a quarterback out of the game.

Right now, the Bills aren’t getting it done on the offensive line, and coach Sean McDermott is not pleased.

“Well, when they hit the quarterback 12 times, I don’t like that,” McDermott said. “I don’t like that stat at all. And it’s not a healthy way to play or a healthy way to keep our quarterback healthy through the remainder of the season. So, that’s just not a good formula there.”

The Bills have no choice but to tinker with the blueprint. What we saw Thursday hints that Buffalo is likely to fall short in the postseason yet again — if it even gets there.