Houston Texans trainer DeMeco Ryans said after Sunday's 32-27 loss to the Tennessee Titans that despite eight sacks, 13 tackles for loss and a pick-six from Jimmie Ward, the defense had too many negative plays to mention the positive ones.
On Monday, the second-year coach repeated a similar thought after rewatching the tape.
“If you look at our tape and look at the game and what happened in that game, there are a lot of positive things that we would like to highlight today,” Ryans said.
The Texans are 7-5 can still win the AFC South in due course. They travel to Jacksonville to face a two-win Jaguars team that could be without Trevor Lawrence for the third straight game.
On the other hand, many people believed that too a Titans squad with two wins I wouldn't begrudge one of the NFL's top defenses having stops in their own back yard, and look how that turned out. Will Levis threw for 278 yards and two touchdown passes, including the eventual 70-yard game-winner to tight end Chig Okonkwo in the fourth quarter.
“I spoke to our team, there is no perspective,” said Ryans. “I'll just tell it exactly how it is. So that's it. We put out really good stuff, but the negative stuff continues to hurt us. So there are no hidden agendas or anything like that, it’s just a matter of cleaning everything up and fixing it.”
How the Texans are preparing for it another battle in the AFC South, Here are some of the other highlights from Ryan's Monday press conference:
quarterback CJ Stroud, who is exceeding his rookie season, was overestimated:
November 24, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans quarterback CJ Stroud (7) looks on the field after the game against the Tennessee Titans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory attribution: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
“When it comes to setting the bar, who sets the bar for someone? There is no higher bar for coaches and players than the one we set for ourselves. So there is no additional or external pressure that raises the bar. We have to live up to some expectations. We always expect our players and coaches to continue to grow and get better, and nothing will change that.”
CJ Stroud takes responsibility for the team's mistakes
November 24, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans quarterback CJ Stroud (7) attempts a pass in the fourth quarter against the Tennessee Titans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory attribution: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
“As head coach, it’s my job to make sure we all stick together. It's not just CJ. Of course he owns up to his mistakes, but not just to CJ, but to everyone on the entire team. It's not just him, everyone has their one move here or there that can end up hurting you. But at the end of the day, mistakes happen in football. That's the game we play. Mistakes happen, teams sometimes take advantage of mistakes, sometimes not. But it depends on how you finish the game. And we still had a chance to finish the game there, but we didn’t.”
The trust in the current offensive line
November 24, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans quarterback CJ Stroud (7) under center against the Tennessee Titans in the fourth quarter at NRG Stadium. Mandatory attribution: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images
“Our guys did a good job in the protection aspect of giving us time, and we can still clean up some things in the running game.”
The effects of DB Jalen Pitre's absence for several weeks
Oct. 27, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans safety Jalen Pitre (5) celebrates with cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. (24) after making an interception in the second quarter against the Indianapolis Colts at NRG Stadium. Mandatory attribution: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
“He was a real impact player for us. Just be on the ball. He just caused interceptions, forced fumbles, he was just a very active, very instinctive player for us, he was all over the field. And he made a lot of plays for us. And we're just going to miss his instincts, miss his playmaking ability, we're going to miss that. So we have to pick it up and drive off. We have to move forward. We have to move on. Whoever else steps in, we have to get started immediately.”
Which led to the problems with the running game against the Titans
November 24, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA;Tennessee Titans running back Tony Pollard (20) rushes against Houston Texans safety Jimmie Ward (20) in the fourth quarter at NRG Stadium. Mandatory attribution: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images
“We didn’t block them well enough and we didn’t finish our blocks. We were on boys and didn't make it. It wasn't anything they did. We just need to finish our blocks, especially when we are on the second level. We have to stay connected. A lot of times we get to the second level, but we don't get stuck with the linebackers or the safeties. And they shoot the gap and make these plays. That doesn't change across football. You work your way up to the second level, you have to finish it or the guy will make the move and make the play. So that's just the mindset for us. We didn’t manage the edges well or well enough to get the ball to the outside line.”
Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter's comp from Ryans' playing days
November 24, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans defensive end Will Anderson Jr. (51) celebrates with cornerback Kamari Lassiter (4) after a tackle in the first quarter against the Tennessee Titans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory attribution: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
“You are making a name for yourself. That's why I don't assign them to any other category. Some of the things Danielle does as a rusher I haven't seen anyone else do before, namely the moves he has and the moves he has. Just with the rushes, the plethora of moves that he has, it's just – I'm thrilled every time I watch him rush. And then the impressive finish he also has on the back to show how fast he is. And Will is getting better at finishing, escaping at the front of the rush and landing on the quarterback. These guys are doing an exceptional job for us up front.”
The balance between wanting to run the defense the way they want to while also taking advantage of the players' strengths on deep passes
November 24, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Tennessee Titans tight end Chig Okonkwo (85) makes a reception and runs for a touchdown in the fourth quarter against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory attribution: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
“We're going to lead our defense, we just have to play defense the right way. So our undercover needs to be in a better place so the guy doesn't just walk around. So the shortfall has to be better and our rush has to be better. So it's all connected. It's not just about making a man stand out. That doesn't work [S Eric] E. Murray, that has to do with the entire defense executing the plan correctly.”
About changes that need to be made this week
November 24, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; The Houston Texans defense huddles against the Tennessee Titans in the third quarter at NRG Stadium. Mandatory attribution: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images
“For us, we just have to do it. We have a lot of cleaning to do. We go through the film and our guys understand what we need to do. So we just have to do it. As I told our boys, we don't need a big meeting. Nothing needs to be said or discussed, we just have to do our job.”
On what it means to be “locked in” in Week 13
November 24, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins (12) celebrates with quarterback CJ Stroud (7) and wide receiver John Metchie III (8) after a touchdown in the second quarter against the Tennessee Titans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory attribution: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
“The fixed part is easy – I just look at it as focusing intensely on your job and being where you're supposed to be and doing the smaller details of your job. It comes down to little, tiny details that if you don't do them right, you take advantage of them and teams find them and make you pay for them. And a lot of the things that I've talked to our guys about, we can control. And here I focus on things we can control, clean up the things we can control, and then we get better.”
