HOUSTON — The Houston Texans have accomplished so much this season that the man led them there needed a little time Saturday to reflect. That's what DeMeco Ryans said Monday when he was asked what was going through his mind as he appeared deep in thought right after Houston's playoff-clinching win against the Colts in Indianapolis.
Houston's with with Jacksonville's loss the next day gave Houston the AFC South title.
The first-year Texans coach was seen in the tunnel at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, greeting players as they headed into the locker room before taking a moment for himself.
“I was there in the hallway just congratulating every player that walked in and took a moment just to reflect, just a moment of prayer and thankfulness, gratefulness for being able to be in this position, to lead this team, to lead this special group of young men,” he said. “And for us to accomplish what we set out to accomplish of getting that spot in the playoffs. I know what it meant to each and every one of our players, each and every one of our support staff. It meant a lot to everyone in our entire organization. So, that moment is just a moment of gratitude and prayer, just thankful.”
Ryan is in the first season as an NFL head football coach, doing it for the team that drafted him in 2006 out of Alabama. He now has the Texans still in the running for pro football's ultimate prize with the next hurdle going up against a Cleveland squad that dominated Houston at NRG Stadium on Christmas Eve.
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One big difference this time around -- Houston will have quarterback C.J. Stroud starting. Stroud was still in concussion protocol for that Christmas Eve loss.
“Having C.J. (Stroud), having your starting quarterback always gives you a chance to win,” Ryans said. “We’re excited to have him.”
But Ryans also knows it’s about more than just having your starter back under center against a Cleveland team that finished the season 11-6.
“Looking back at our first game against the Browns, it was a lot of self-inflicted penalties," Ryan said. “We made big plays; they were negated by penalties or just mishaps on our part. Again, we have to play clean football versus a really good team. You can’t go out and make mistakes, or they’ll capitalize on it, and they’ve shown that time after time after time.”
Houston will also have to find a way to spot the Cleveland offense. Browns’ receiver Amari Cooper ran all over the Texans’ secondary in the December 24 meeting. Cooper finished with 265 yards receiving and two touchdowns.
“Watching it again, he had some of the best catches I’ve seen all year, even though guys were in coverage and in position, he still made unbelievable catches,” Ryans said. “He had an outstanding game, so we just have to be in position to cover him better. We have to make plays to get off the field on third-down as well.”
The game is Saturday at 3:30 p.m. Stay with KHOU 11 and KHOU.com for complete coverage of the Texans' playoff run.