When DeMeco Ryans was hired as the Houston Texans’ head coach back in January of 2023, certainly the most basic of hopes was that the team would win more football games than they’d been winning over the previous few seasons. That wasn’t exactly a tough bar to clear, what with the previous three seasons totaling 11 wins.
Additionally, though, with Ryans’ status as a franchise icon, there had to be an ancillary hope that the winning would accompany a return to the rabid vibes of the year of Texans football that preceded Bill O’Brien’s time as the head coach. During O’Brien’s tenure, even when the team had success, the fan base seemed to be falling out of love with the Texans. When losing hit the team in 2020, the fans hit the road.
If we learned anything from the Texans’ 45-14 rout of the Cleveland Browns in the opening round of the NFL playoffs on Saturday afternoon, it’s that the love affair between team and city is undoubtedly rekindled in Houston. The tailgate scene in the parking lot five hours prior to kickoff was hopping, the stadium was sold out, and the crowd was LOUD.
This is what Houston Texans football should feel like, and hopefully WILL feel like for years to come. Let’s get to the winners and losers from Saturday’s game:
WINNERS
4. Christian Harris
Harris has steadily become one of the most reliable performers on DeMeco Ryans’ defense. Since about the midway point of the Tampa Bay game in Week 9, Harris has been the team’s best linebacker, and on Saturday, he had the best game of his career, with eight tackles (two tackles for loss), a sack, and this pick six to put even more distance between the Texans and Browns:
Harris is one of a handful of former Alabama players on this roster, and those guys are no stranger to big game atmospheres, which explains why they don’t flinch in big situations.
3. John Metchie III
Another former Alabama player, Metchie has struggled in his first full season as a pro. Of course, he missed his entire rookie season in 2022, because he was being treated for leukemia. It’s been tough sledding for Metchie in 2023, as he’s had trouble getting open, and struggled with drops at times. On Saturday, though, he had three key catches, including a 27 yard catch to set up the Texans’ first touchdown. If Noah Brown is going to miss more time in the future, Metchie’s improvement becomes essential for the Texans’ offense.
2. Bobby Slowik
Slowik spent the past week doing two things — preparing for the Cleveland Browns and being requested for job interviews for at least four of the NFL head coaching openings. Slowik seems to be a hot candidate for at least a couple of the current openings, particularly the Titans and Commanders, where their general managers are former co-workers from Slowik’s 49er days. On Saturday, Slowik was masterful at taking advantage of the Browns’ defense and their overaggressiveness. It was a great sizzle reel for some very thirsty owners out there.
1. C.J. Stroud
We could write a book at this point about just how much Stroud means to the Houston Texans, and certainly the juxtaposition of losing three weeks ago to the Browns, 36-22, without him next to Saturday’s 45-14 rout displays that dynamic perfectly. Stroud was masterful in the first half of the game, going 11 of 16 for 236 yards and three touchdowns. He sustained no sacks, threw no picks, and took no prisoners. C.J. Stroud is the truth.
LOSERS
4. Arizona Cardinals
With the outcome of this game, we now get a clearer idea of where the Texans’ (and Browns’) draft picks will fall. The Texans were roundly criticized last April for trading their first round pick in 2024 to move up and get Will Anderson, as many thought the Texans’ picks could be in the top two or three overall. With Saturday’s win, the Texans pick will, best case, be the 25th overall pick in the draft. On top of that, the Browns’ pick, which the Texans’ own, will be no worse than 24th. Good job, Nick Caserio!
3. Deshaun Watson
We forget about Deshaun Watson, because since going on injured reserve, he’s kind of off the grid. That said, he was on the Browns’ sideline on Saturday in street clothes. What must he have been thinking, watching the team he couldn’t get away from fast enough destroy his current team? I think this tweet properly encapsulates it:
2. Myles Garrett
Garrett, the former Texas A&M Aggie and first overall pick in the 2017 draft, might very well win Defensive Player of the Year when the NFL announces its award winners at the Super Bowl, and good for him. Every good player, though, has some form of kryptonite, and Garrett’s is Texans left tackle Laremy Tunsil, who dominates Garrett, whenever they’re matched up. It happened again on Saturday, as Garrett was held to three harmless tackles, and no sacks.
1. Joe Flacco
It was a fun story while it lasted — 38 year old guy gets pulled off the couch and MIGHT lead his former archival, the most downtrodden franchise in the sport, to a Super Bowl. Hey, who doesn’t like Joe Flacco? Well, the Texans effectively extinguished the fun fairy tale in two drives in the third quarter — the first was a Steven Nelson pick six that was one of the worst throws you’ll ever see, and the second was the aforementioned Harris pick six on a fourth down. Back to the backup quarterback heap for you next season, Flacco!
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This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2024.
