Dec 14, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans walk off the field at half time against the Arizona Cardinals in the second quarter at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

DeMeco Ryans Wants More From Texans’ Defense

Originally posted on Houston Texans on SI | By Jared Koch | Last updated Dec 16, 2025 11:50 AM ET

The Houston Texans, in their Week 15 win over the Arizona Cardinals, came out a bit flat defensively compared to how their league-beat unit has performed throughout the season thus far.

Despite running away with a 20-point victory, they allowed their highest total points in over a month's time as Jacoby Brissett and Co. rattled off 20 points themselves, albeit in a bit of a lopsided affair in favor of the Texans at the end.

But for a defensive-minded coach like DeMeco Ryans, he certainly won't be getting complacent on that side of the ball heading into a critical stretch of the year— calling the Texans' defensive outing against the Cardinals not up to standard.

"In that game, defensively, that game was not up to our standard," Ryans said of the Texans' defense after beating the Cardinals.

"So there are a ton of things that we can improve upon, a ton of things that we need to get better at, things that we work [on]. We did a play up to our standard defensively, so we have a lot to go out and improve."

DeMeco Ryans Says Texans' Defense Has a Ton to Improve

It was far from an abysmal day defensively for the Texans. They still came away with a couple of takeaways on the Cardinals’ offense, took down Jacoby Brissett for a couple of sacks, and kept Arizona's run game in check by allowing just 3.4 yards per carry throughout.

However, with the number-one scoring defense that the Texans have put together over the course of this season, and the tall offensive tasks that they've bested thus far, even 20 points from the opposing side can be like a lot to give up in a single game.

Especially when it came to defending the Cardinals' star tight end, Trey McBride, that was an area the Texans faced a bit more trouble than they're used to, allowing 12 catches for 134 yards throughout, and two touchdown scores to match that of Nico Collins.

Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Of course, a win is a win, but for the type of heights the Texans want to reach, there's always room for improvement— even for a defense that, for the most part, hasn't let the opposition breathe much on a week-to-week basis.

On the horizon, the Texans have a meeting with one of the bleakest offenses in the NFL traveling on their home field against the 2-12 Las Vegas Raiders, providing a perfect chance for this elite defense to put together a get-right performance after a week Ryan’s found himself lookign for more.

This article first appeared on Houston Texans on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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