The Houston Texans are on a three-game win streak, their first since Weeks 11 through 13 of the 2024 season. And yet, Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans knows they must be much sharper with a big game against the Indianapolis Colts on tap.
The Texans began the season 0-3, but they have clawed their way back into the thick of the AFC playoff race and even the division crown. They should also get C.J. Stroud back this week.
Still, Ryans did not mince words or exclude anyone in his messaging.
Texans HC DeMeco Ryans Issues Clear Notice
GettyHouston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans looks on against the Tennessee Titans.
During his media availability on Monday, Ryans fielded a question about whether the Texans’ defensive dominance against the Buffalo Bills on “Thursday Night Football” in Week 12 had any bearing on Houston’s offensive aggressiveness.
The Texans had 261 total net yards of offense, their second-lowest mark of the season, ahead of only their Week 7 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on “Monday Night Football.”
The Texans tallied 60 yards after halftime.
“It doesn’t necessarily correlate. We still got to do a better job moving the ball in the second half. I don’t think our second-half offense was good enough,” Ryans told reporters on November 24. “We have to continue to strive, continue to get better at executing the plays, calling it better. We got to do a much better job. Coaches, players, everybody. We got to be able to move the ball way more than we did in the second half if we’re going to finish games the right way.”
The Texans boast the No. 1 overall and the second-ranked scoring defense in the NFL entering Week 13. However, their offense under first-year offensive coordinator Nick Caley ranks 19th overall and 21st in scoring.
“Ryans’ cause for concern is warranted. Houston had just 60 total net yards in the final two quarters Thursday, its fewest in a half this season. The offense had just two first downs and was 1-for-6 on third down. Four of its five second-half drives ended in punts, three of which were three-and-outs,” The Houston Chronicle’s Sam Warren wrote on November 24.
“The other was a squandered possession that started deep in Buffalo’s territory and ended with a field goal, the Texans’ only points in the final 30 minutes.”
Texans Have Several Critical Areas to Clean Up Offensively
GettyHouston Texns head coach DeMeco Ryans looks on against the Buffalo Bills.
Warren essentially detailed just what Ryans said: that the Texans had an all-around offensive failure in the second half against the Bills. That includes a poor second half from fill-in starting quarterback Davis Mills.
“The backup suffered from some dropped passes and pressures but did miss some throws that could have jogged some yards free for the offense,” Warren wrote. “The Texans failed to create lanes for running back Woody Marks, too, as the rookie was consistently being contacted in the backfield which limited their ground game. Houston also received four offensive penalties in the final two quarters, including a delay of game that set it back on its lone red zone trip of the half.
But the team’s play calls could have helped them more as well.
Warren noted that the Bills were “quite easily” deciphering what the Texans were looking to accomplish on early downs, which left them in disadvantageous situations on third downs.
The Texans have the fifth-worst third-down conversion rate, and they are the second-least-efficient team in the red zone this season, ahead of only the 2-9 New Orleans Saints, per Pro Football Reference.
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