DeMeco Ryans
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Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans looks on before facing the Carolina Panthers.
Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans spoke candidly about his team’s shortcomings in their season opener against the Los Angeles Rams, a potentially wise choice given what that loss cost them and what is at stake this season.
The Texans are eyeing the first three-peat as AFC South champions, but winning the division could prove more challenging than in recent seasons.
Meanwhile, Ryans, in his third season as Texans HC, is trending in the wrong direction.
Texans’ Loss to Rams Costly in Playoff, AFC South Race
DeMeco Ryans, Houston Texans
GettyHouston Texans head Coach DeMeco Ryans looks on against the Minnesota Vikings/
According to ESPN’s Bill Barnwell, Ryans and the Texans saw their odds of earning the No. 1 seed in the AFC “fall from 5.2% to 1.8% with the loss to LA. That makes them the 11th-most likely team to earn a first-round bye, which can be useful during extended playoff runs.
Barnwell noted the Texans lost to a good Rams team, but offered a reality check on the division.
“What happened around Houston matters,” Barnwell wrote on September 11. “The Colts and Jaguars had two of the most impressive victories of the week. The Texans were an average team by advanced metrics last season and floated their way to the AFC South title by virtue of being in a division with three mediocre-or-worse opponents; if that division is suddenly much tougher, they will find it more difficult to go 5-1 in the AFC South again.”
Ryans called the Texans’ presnap issues “unacceptable” and noted that they would ideally have targeted Nico Collins more had they been able to sustain their offense.
ESPN’s Dan Graziano noted the Texans’ change from Bobby Slowik to Nick Caley at offensive coordinator “didn’t get off to a stellar debut,” and echoed Barnwell’s sentiments about the AFC South, namely the Colts, being a bigger challenge in 2025.
“Nick Caley and quarterback C.J. Stroud have some work to do to get fully on the same page, and the Texans will make a point to find ways to get top receiver Nico Collins more involved moving forward,” Graziano wrote on September 10. “Without a run game to stress opposing defenses, Stroud and Caley need to show improvement in the pass game quickly.”
Texans’ Slide Could Ultimately Prove Costly for DeMeco Ryans
DeMeco Ryans, Houston Texans
GettyHouston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans stands on the sideline against the Carolina Panthers.
Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon listed Ryans under the “warm” section of his “early hot seat check,” considering their Week 1 loss an extension of last season’s struggles.
“Hard to believe considering how much he and the Texans had going for them about 18 months ago,” Gagnon wrote on September 10, “but 2024 was a mess and 2025 is off to a horrendous start. I can see them making a dramatic change if this continues.”
A 5-point loss on the road against a playoff team from last season may not be “horrendous.”
The Texans have also shown no signs of wanting to move on from Ryans, who has gone 10-7 and made the postseasons in each of his first two seasons.
Gagnon grouped Ryans with Raheem Morris of the Atlanta Falcons, but also Zac Taylor, who led the Cincinnati Bengals to the Super Bowl in 2021. However, if Gagnon is correct, and the Texans continue to struggle, Ryans’ seat could quickly go from “warm” to “burning” hot.
As it stands, the explosive Tampa Bay Buccaneers loom large for Ryans’ Texans in Week 2.