INDIANAPOLIS – The journey has been a long one for the Texans and Head Coach DeMeco Ryans and if they can string together another solid 60 minutes of football tonight in Lucas Oil Stadium they will have reached a level few expected when training camp opened in late July.
Where else would we be? Fun Friday of #Texans #Colts coverage @KPRC2 / #KPRC2+ / https://t.co/ZBUH6rZLbD ! Sat. We have our 1 hour LIVE Pre-Game show on #KPRC2+. @AaronWilson_NFL @KPRC2Chancellor plus guests and player interviews! pic.twitter.com/obw5OglYn8
— Randy McIlvoy (@KPRC2RandyMc) January 6, 2024
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Win Saturday night in the prime time showdown against the Colts and Ryans’ Texans will punch their ticket to the AFC playoffs for the first time since 2019.
“Were really excited about just our opportunity and what this game means for us to earn a spot in the playoffs,” Ryans told the media earlier this week.
“Whether it’s primetime or not, it doesn’t matter to us. We just want to go out and play good football. Play our brand of football, execute and just play clean,” Ryans added.
The Texans are far from being a healthy football team but every NFL club can say the same thing this time of the year. Ruled out already are receiver Noah Brown and Defensive End Jonathan Greenard. Several others are banged up but expected to play as our Click2Houston.com Texans Insider Aaron Wilson has reported.
Maliek Collins expected to return from hip injury, looked good enough in practice Thursday per league sources @KPRC2 https://t.co/bmeqwKdrGc
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) January 6, 2024
Despite dealing with injuries throughout the season, Ryans has kept his team locked in with his philosophy that when someone goes down it’s the next man up mentality to get the job done. They enter Saturday 9-7 securing a winning season in Ryans’ first year at the helm.
The partnership with General Manager Nick Caserio has been a key reason why the Texans are where they are as they enter week 18. The Head Coach and GM link is critical for any NFL franchise to be successful and they are now reaping the rewards.
“Nick has done a great job when it comes to roster management,” said Ryans. “Adding players throughout the offseason, throughout the draft process me and Nick have worked step in step.”
“We talk about every decision before it’s made and we make sure we’re on the same page and I always say this- it works well when you see football the same. You know what types of players you’re looking for, the skillset you’re looking for and we are both on the same page when it comes to that. We’ve worked well together throughout the entire year,” added Ryans.
Tonight Houston will go after a 10th victory and earn the chance to continue playing meaningful playoff football in January. That said, there’s no motivation that’s needed.
“There’s really not a lot to be said. I think for players everybody understands where we are,” said Ryans. “They understand what this game means so there’s not going to be a lot a coach has to say to get a guy up for a game like this.”
“It’s going to be a faster paced game and a little more physical. Guys have to understand that. They’ve done a great job all year and for us to be right here at the same spot vying to get in with this playoff opportunity- man, what a great matchup between two teams.”
Join us for our Live Texans Pre-game special on KPRC 2+ from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m on the field at Lucas Oil Stadium.