The Houston Texans are in Year 2 of the DeMeco Ryans Era, and while they are going through a stormy patch right now, having lost three out of their last four games, I think that Ryans is still, by and large, one of the most popular sports figures in Houston. If you have any sort of long term memory, you recall what the Lovie Smith and David Culley seasons felt like. That sucked. This is better.
That said, Ryans has fallen under more criticism of late, with the main point of contention being the offensive side of the football for the Texans, where they haven’t scored a second half touchdown in more than a month.
Ironically, the Texans have the exact same record ten games into this season as they did last season. They are 6-4. However, while last season, 6-4 was cause for a weeklong party, 6-4 this year has everyone on edge. Why is that? If you just look at the flow of each season, the simple answer would be that the Texans won three in a row to get to 6-4, while in 2024, they’ve lost three of four to “fumble” to 6-4. But there’s more to it than that.
Here are five reasons why an identical record feels a little worse this season than it felt during last season in 2023:
EXPECTATIONS
Last year, there really weren’t any real expectations for the Texans, except that we would see improved play, a better culture, and more intensity on defense with Ryans as head coach. If they had gone 4-6 to start 2023, people would have been fine, as long as progress was being made. This year, the bar was set (unrealistically, in retrospect) at “Super Bowl or bust.” The Texans may very well be a better overall football team this season than last season, but they’re now being compared to the chiefs and the Ravens, not the 2022 Houston Texans.
STROUD REGRESSION
Last year, C.J. Stroud was a phenom, taking the league by storm. In Week 8, he shattered rookie records for passing yards in a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with 470 yards in a comeback win. He was the toast of the town! This year, Stroud has not been bad necessarily. I mean, the team would be sunk of he ever got hurt. However, there’s been no real sign of a leap in Year 2 as an NFL quarterback. Some of this is on Stroud, and some of this is on his surroundings. Speaking of which….
OFFENSIVE LINE
Last season, the offensive line was an injury ravaged, potluck-each-week unit doing its best in a new system. It wasn’t great, but it was good enough, and we figured that, fully healthy, it would be better in 2024! This season, though, it’s a largely healthy group that quits on blocks, plays undisciplined and, at times, a bit soft. It’s also a group whose “leaders,” Laremy Tunsil and Tytus Howard, are excuse makers and take very little accountability.
RELATIONSHIP STUFF
You know how it works in any relationship, where the longer you’re together, the more warts you see, and it’s all about adapting to the flaws of the ones we love, if indeed we intend to remain with them. In Year 1 of Ryans, all was great, because again, NO EXPECTATIONS! It’s Year 2 with DeMeco now, though, and the honeymoon is over, so we are seeing some of his warts – being overly loyal to bad players (and maybe coaches), along with his team’s lack of killer instinct (again, no second half touchdowns in a month!)
INJURY FRUSTRATION
Last year, no team in the NFL had worse injury luck than the Houston Texans. They had more missed games from starters than any team in the NFL. This year, the football gods were to have made it up to us, and keep our squad relatively healthy. Alas, though, Nico Collins, Stefon Diggs, Will Anderson, Kamari Lassiter, Azeez Al-Shaair, and Joe Mixon have all missed quality time. Diggs is out for the season with a torn ACL. The gods are practically rubbing our noses in it when the only group that stays healthy is the putrid offensive line!
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This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2024.
