To process the magnitude of what the Houston Texans and head coach DeMeco Ryans are accomplishing in the 2023 season, just go back and look at the tail end of the 2022 season. Last year, the Texans rang in the new year by getting their asses handed to them at home by the Jacksonville Jaguars by a score of 31-3.
All that remained was one final game in Indianapolis in Week 18, where most Texans fans were actually rooting AGAINST the Texans so they’d secure the first overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, a pick many hoped the team would use to draft Bryce Young. The Texans won that Week 18 game, and many Texans fans were livid.
Now, fast forward to Sunday. The 8-7 Texans took the Tennessee Titans to the woodshed at home on New Year’s Ever, thumping them by a score of 26-3, keeping alive the team’s very real playoff hopes. Next week, they head to Indy again for Week 18, only now it’s for a postseason berth. The winner of that game will secure a playoff spot.
If you had to read that again just to absorb how absolutely surreal that last paragraph is, I don’t blame you. I typed it, and I’ve reread it no fewer than ten times. This is some incredible work DeMeco Ryans has done, and finishing the home campaign on Sunday with that rout of Tennessee makes it even sweeter. Let’s get to the winners and losers from Sunday’s win.
