DeMeco Ryans said the Houston Texans starters would see action in Sunday’s Week 18 regular-season finale against the Tennessee Titans, but he never a timetable.
After C.J. Stroud connected with Nico Collins for a 2-yard touchdown pass on the opening drive, most of the essential stars day was done on offense.
By halftime, the defensive stars could exhale and loosen their pads. All that was left was to wait for the clock to strike zero on a 23-14 win at Nissan Stadium.
A breather was needed, but so was a proper sendoff to the 2024 season. Stroud, Mixon and the entire defense struggled to find any success on Christmas Day in a 31-2 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
Now, the Texans enter playoffs with the right mindset. They’ll host the Los Angeles Chargers in the wild-card round Saturday for a chance to extend the season at least another week.
“Our team has played really good football throughout the year,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “We’ve earned a right to play postseason football, which is always our goal and now we’re excited for whatever opportunity comes next.”
Houston’s 9-point victory gave the team 10 wins for the sixth time in franchise history. It also marked the 20th regular-season win for Ryans and the 19th for Stroud.
The Texans also got to see the growth of other players like Derek Barnett and Dameon Pierce step up for a chance to see extended reps against Los Angeles. Barnett recovered the fumble against Titans quarterback Will Levis for his second TD of the season on a 36-yard scoop-and-score.
Pierce, Houston’s 2023 starting running back, broke free during the second quarter for a 92-yard touchdown en route to a career day. He finished with 176 yards and the longest touchdown run of the regular season.
“He maximized the opportunity today with the carries that he had, made some really big runs for us,” Ryans said. “I was excited. I think our whole entire sideline was excited to see him play the way he’s played for us.”
The Chargers enter Saturday fresh off a three-game winning streak to close out 2024. Granted, two of those wins came against teams with a combined seven-win total, but Jim Harbaugh’s roster has been a constant force festively all season.
“Well-coached football team,” Ryans said of the Bolts. “You can see Coach (Jim) Harbaugh’s imprint on the football team instantly. Just how sound they are, in all three phases, really sound football team.”
Los Angeles (11-6) enters Saturday with the top-rank scoring defense (17.7 points per game) and leads the league red-zone touchdown percentage (44.6%). The Bolts also rank top-five in opposing third-down conversion percentage (35.7%), and sacks (46).
Do-it-all defensive back Derwin James is coming off another All-Pro caliber season and anchors Jesse Minter’s defense with the help of pass rushers Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa.
“We have our hands full as it should be in a playoff matchup,” Ryans said. “We’re excited to go against a really good football team.”
Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. All-time in the wild-card round, the Texans are 5-2, most recently shoring up a 45-14 win last season as the No. 4 seed against the Cleveland Browns.
