Aug 16, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans walks on the field before the game against the Carolina Panthers at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

DeMeco Ryans Gets Real on Texans' Biggest Priority in Week 3

Originally posted on Houston Texans on SI | By Jared Koch | Last updated Sep 19, 2025 6:30 PM ET

The Houston Texans are looking ahead to a critical Week 3 matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars, which follows two straight losses to open the year at 0-2, and effectively makes this weekend's contest a battle to escape last place within the AFC South.

But despite the rocky start to the year, the Texans aren't letting emotions get the best of them.

Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans would meet with the team after the events of Week 2's loss vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where the main takeaway was simple: this group isn't far away, but getting on the winning side of things requires a bigger sense of urgency.

And according to Ryans, it's a message received well by the locker room.

"Our guys are eager to get going, and that's what I felt from our team meeting as we went through the game," Ryans said ahead of Week 3. "You know, flushed it, got it out. Guys are eager to get going. And the one thing about our guys, they understand where we are.  They understand how small a margin it is to win in this league. And I continue to tell our guys, like, it's not that we are so far off, we're so far removed."

"It's just about, like, can we buckle down and make those couple plays we need to make to end the game, right? And that won't change every week. It'll be the same. So our guys understand what to do, understand the urgency at which we have to operate, to get that done."

The first two games of the Texans' season have been decided by a combined six points. Houston fell in Week 1 vs. the LA Rams 9-14 despite a near-comeback effort by the offense in the fourth quarter, and Week 2 vs. the Buccaneers would end up being a one-point, 19-20 victory led by Baker Mayfield in the final two minutes.

Those shortcomings have led to the Texans beginning the new year cold at 0-2, but the talent in the building is much better than what a winless record would show.

For Ryans, that difference between 0-2 and 2-0 comes down to how they're finishing games; the key focus for Week 3 in Jacksonville.

"For us, honestly, we just have to go finish," Ryans emphasized. "Like, we've been in games, we've been close. We've got to go finish. We gotta finish drives. We gotta finish in the red zone, we have to finish on third down. We just have to finish the football game."

After starting slow out of the gates, expect Ryans to have the Texans prepared and refreshed to get back on the right track for a crucial divisional matchup vs. Jacksonville in Week 3.