Head coach DeMeco Ryans and the Houston Texans have defied all expectations so far on the 2023-24 NFL season. Not many expected the Texans to be a very competitive team this year; however, Ryans and rookie quarterback sensation CJ Stroud have helped reverse the fortunes of their franchise and have turned heads all year, culminating in last week’s blowout win over the Cleveland Browns in the Wild Card Round of the AFC Playoffs.
Up next for the Texans is a date with MVP favorite Lamar Jackson and his Baltimore Ravens this weekend, and a forecast of freezing temperatures will greet them when they arrive.
Recently, Ryans broke down his team’s mindset when it comes to embracing the elements that await them.
“It was good to experience the weather, very similar to what it will be in Baltimore,” said Ryans, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. “I don’t think our guys will be worried about weather. You embrace the suck and you move on.”
In his first year in the NFL, CJ Stroud looked like a legitimate MVP candidate at times this season, helping lead the Texans back to the NFL playoffs for the first time since the 2018 campaign. Ryans also raised eyebrows across the league in his first season at the helm in Houston, the franchise he played for during his own tenure in the NFL.
Although it might be easy to say that the Texans are now playing with house money, don’t expect them to act “happy to be there” on Saturday.
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