DeMeco Ryans Pinpoints Season-Changing Moment for Texans

It was always a given that Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans would pay tribute to the sheer resilience of his team, especially after they clinched a playoff berth by beating the Los Angeles Chargers 20-16.

“Congratulations to everyone, because you guys earned this,” Ryans declared post-game. “Getting into the playoffs is … not about an opinion or what somebody thinks. You have to earn your way into the playoffs, and our guys played winning football to get us in position to be in the playoffs.”

Recovering from their nearly disastrous 0-3 start meant staring themselves straight in the mirror, and then finding inner reserves they perhaps never knew they had previously.

Truth is, it was also a test of just how deep the Texans' roster was, so Ryans once again pinpointed backup quarterback Davis Mills as being the catalyst for the revival which started when he came from behind to defeat the Jacksonville Jaguars earlier on in the campaign.

“From my viewpoint, the turning point for our entire season, I go back to our Jacksonville game,” Ryans explained, “For us to be down as far as we were in that game, and to have our backup quarterback, Davis Mills, right, to have such a clutch performance to get us into a position to win that game. “That’s the game that flipped our season and just showed us, no matter what we’re up against, no matter who’s on the field, if we stay together, stay connected, we can overcome anything.”

Davis Mills Was Key in Reviving Texans' Season

Comeback wins like Week 10 against Trevor Lawrence and Co. brought the team together in severe adversity, and also proved that playing stoic complimentary football can bring positive results.

After all, star quarterback C.J. Stroud was out with a concussion he suffered during a defeat to the Denver Broncos, and the forecast for the rest of the way looked pretty darn bleak.

Ironically enough, the week nine defeat against the Broncos was the last time the Texans lost a game to date; the subsequent eight-game winning streak has taught them a lot about themselves.

“We just have guys who are true believers who are unwavering in their faith," Ryans insisted. "Guys who come to work every single day, putting in work no matter what’s being said on the outside. Things that really don’t– it doesn’t matter to us."

"Our guys continue to work the right way. And that’s why I believe. Because I saw the work ethic that those guys pour into it. The coaches, players, staff, everybody pours their all into what we’re doing every single day.”