HOUSTON TEXANS HEAD COACH DEMECO RYANS
Postgame Press Conference
Sunday, January 18, 2026
DR: First and foremost, and all glory, honor and praise to God. I'm just thankful for the season that we were able to have. Didn't finish the way we would have liked to have seen, but I'm proud of this team, proud of these guys for just being a light and shining bright. The guys accomplished a lot of firsts, did a lot of great things throughout this year, provided a ton of inspiration to a lot of people, especially to the city of Houston. We're not coming back with a win, but we have a ton of fans that are proud of what these guys were able to accomplish this year, and I'm proud of these guys, as well.
Q: (On the turnovers in the red zone.)
DR: When you're in a game of this magnitude, we've done a great job all year of protecting the football and running the ball well. That's been our formula. To come here when we needed it most, we didn't protect the ball, and it's tough to think that you're going to win a game when you turn the ball over five times. We still had opportunities there. Guys still battled. That's why I love this team. Even though you shouldn't be able to come back from five takeaways, we were still fighting, we were still scratching and clawing to be in that position.
Q: At any point did you think about (indiscernible) C.J. Stroud?
DR: No, C.J. is our guy. I believed that he could come back out in the second half and flip it. I believed that he could play better, and he did that in the second half. He did play better. We had some positive drives there in the second half. I believed that he would do that, and he did that. As I always tell our guys at halftime, it really doesn't matter what happened in the first half. You have to flush it, remove it, and you just have to go out and finish the right way. We've been there before. We've been in situations much more dire than this, and we were able to bounce back. In my mind, there was no doubt in my mind that we would be able to overcome that.
Q: Given how well you ran the football against Pittsburgh, did you anticipate having this much difficulty against their defense?
DR: We knew their interior defensive linemen were really good players, Milton and also Barmore are really good players, and they did a good job, and they controlled the front tonight. Last week we were able to control the front. We were able to run the ball. We did not control the front well at all, did not run it well, did not do a great job up front, did not run it well when we had opportunities. So credit to the Patriots for what they did up front with their interior defensive linemen.
Q: What do you think contributed to some of C.J.'s turnovers today?
DR: I would have to look at the tape to see exactly what happened, what were the miscues on the interceptions.
Q: At any point did it look like his confidence had started to waver or shake in that first half?
DR: No, I just feel like you just keep battling. That's my main thing. In a game, a lot of bad things happen. That's the nature of the game. Bad plays happen. But you just move on and you go to the next play. That's where you can't let one bad play turn into another. You just keep punching. That's what I wanted to see our guys keep doing.
Q: I know you're not a fan of excuses, but when I was out there, the field was pretty slippy. It was one of those rare weather conditions where it wasn't snow, it was kind of just icy mix. Were there grip issues for C.J. Stroud in the game?
DR: You would have to ask C.J. about that one.
Q: What did you see from C.J. when you said you were confident he would come out in the second half? Did you feel like his confidence was still strong?
DR: Yeah, he came out the second half and we had a really nice drive there at the beginning of the second half to go down and we should have scored there, but we ended up getting points, and we got us in field goal range and we were able to get points. Yeah, I felt our entire sideline felt it. He bounced back and gave us a really great, positive drive to start the half.
Q: What did you say to him after this game?
DR: Keep your head up. I love you. I got your back. That's what I told him at halftime. This whole team has your back. We're in this thing together from day one. It doesn't change for me. We have a really special group, a tight-knit group, and when things don't go your way, you have bad performances, it's not a time to point fingers or say it's on one person. If anything, it all starts with me. For me, as the head coach of this team, we didn't perform well. Obviously I didn't have our guys ready to go in this moment. So that starts with me. We stick together.
Q: You have such a high standard for the defense. How do you think the defense did overall in this one?
DR: I thought the defense did good. Will, Danielle, they did what they always do. They got after the quarterback. They gave us opportunities, got the ball out multiple times, so it gave us opportunities to stay in the game.
Q: With 12:16 left, it was 3rd and 6 and you decided to punt it. Why did you make that decision? You were on the 36 with 12:16 left and you decided to punt it —
DR: We didn't punt on 3rd down.
Q: On 4th and 6 —
DR: Yeah, at the end of the day, I make decisions there in the game for us to get the ball back, get the ball to our defense and see if we can make a play.
Q: What's the source of your faith in C.J.? I know you have a deep faith in him. What's the source of your faith?
DR: I believe C.J. has done a lot of great things throughout this entire year. I know C.J. I know what it means to him. If anybody, you think about how anybody is feeling at this moment, you think about C.J. I think about the man, first and foremost. It's not about the player. Of course it's not what we would have hoped for. It's not what we thought would happen. But I still stand by the young man, believe in him and what he's done for us to be in the position we're in right here today. It's because of him and all of the guys on our team, for battling, fighting hard, making the plays to put us in this position.
Q: There will be a lot of time to reflect and think about what went right, what went wrong. As you head into this off-season, what do you feel like needs to happen –
DR: I'm not in the mood to talk about the off-season right now. Right here, right now, I'm proud of our team for making it to this moment. Our guys did an outstanding job, a place where a lot of the teams would love to be. It didn't end how we wanted it to end for sure. We keep battling. One little hiccup here, right? We just keep battling.
Q: You haven't seen the tape yet, but it was uncharacteristic to have so many turnovers these last couple games. Any idea as to what the source of that is?
DR: I wish we knew. We don't want to have the turnovers. That's the most turnovers we've had probably all year. We've been top in the league at protecting the ball all year, and for us to come out in these past two games and have the amount of turnovers we've had, it's not winning football. So we've got to find a way to not have that, clean it up and get it fixed.
Q: Do you feel like that touchdown play kind of deflated things for you guys?
DR: It never deflates us. When there's time on the clock, we're always in it. They make plays, too. That is the NFL. The other team will make plays. Credit to the kid, he made a really outstanding one-handed catch. That was a really great catch by him.
Q: What is missing to get over this hump of the divisional round for the third year in a row?
DR: We've got to play better football. There's not any secrets. We've got to protect the ball. We've got to play better football when we get in this moment. For the past three years we have not played well, haven't protected the ball well, and we have not executed well in this moment. So it's not a magical elixir that's going to happen to get past the divisional round. It's still football, and you've got to go out and you've got to execute football really well in these moments, and we have not done that.
Q: From your perspective you mentioned how you're proud of this team. How do you balance that in this moment, wanting to get over the hump but also being proud of your team getting to this point?
DR: You keep the main thing the main thing. For me, we can't go back and replay the game right now, so in this moment right now, it's a moment of gratitude, a moment of thankfulness for not only our players but man, we have a lot of people, our support staff, coaches who pour a lot of time and effort into what we do to be here. So I'm just thankful for the people that I have working with me. It's a joy to show up to work and work with the people that I get to work with on a day-to-day basis. That's what makes it special. So it's easy for a lot of people to dwell on the negatives in this moment. We get it; we lost a tough game, big game. But at the end of the day, God is still good to us and this is still a special team, and I will never shy away from saying that.
QUARTERBACK C.J. STROUD
Postgame Press Conference
Sunday, January 18, 2026
Q: How did you continue to play with confidence as the turnovers started to pile up?
CS: First, before I do anything, I want to give God the glory, my Lord and savior Jesus Christ. Without him, I'm nothing, and I just appreciate him giving me this opportunity, this platform to play this great game with this great organization. Just grateful for that. I mean, I think I'm a pretty self-confident person. I think when they started to pile up, I tried my best just to stay locked in in the spirit and realizing I've just got to be there for my teammates, and they encouraged me a lot through it. I'm really appreciative of this team and them doing that because they didn't have to. But yeah, it was not easy. It's something that I'm going to learn from. I'm just grateful my teammates were picking me up.
Q: As you look back over the ups and downs, the highs and lows of the season, as you go forward into the off-season, how do you continue to improve?
CS: Yeah, I'll look back at the season and once again, I can't just be anything but grateful for the teammates I have, the coaches I have, the organization, the city of Houston, the fans. I look back and I just feel like I let people down, and I'm not happy with that. It hurts, and I'm not naïve to it. I didn't play my best this year, but I'm going to respond. I'm going to keep my chest up, my chin up high, and I'm going to just keep battling forward. If God be for me, who can be against me. I'm just going to rely on that. I think even today, just our team doing great, our defense getting stops, and just being careless with the football, I've got to get that fixed, and it's something that I know I can, so I'm going to get that done.
Q: You never wavered on the idea of (indiscernible). At any point did you find yourself knowing maybe this isn't my night; let's win this one, advance? Does that even enter your mind as a competitor?
CS: No, ma'am, I don't think that's smart on my part to get myself out of the game. I don't think my coach would ever do that, either. But if he did, I would understand. But I think my whole team trusts me. They believe in me. Just like how quick it can go back, they know how quick I can get hot. Today just wasn't my day, and I'm appreciative of my teammates having my back once again. But yeah, that doesn't cross my mind. Regardless of what happens on the field, I'm going to continue.
Q: (Indiscernible).
CS: I think just trying to make plays, trying to push the football down the field and put our team in position to score. My intent is never to do that. Sometimes it just doesn't go your way, and that happened today. I take full responsibility. It's something I'm going to learn from. It's just ball security is everything, especially the way our defense has played all year, and it's something that I've done a pretty good job of up to this point. I'm going to continue to get better in that area. I'm not happy with myself when it comes to that because I'm giving points and opportunities away from our team. We have so many great players on our team, great offense, defense, special teams, and the way our defense played all year, I'm just very -- I'm not happy with that.
Q: (Indiscernible).
CS: Yeah, I remember not feeling the best, and for him to come up and say that means a lot. I remember coming up on my 30 visit when I was just about to get drafted, I was 20 years old, young, wet behind the ears, and he told me no matter if you come on this team, no matter what happens, I'm going to always have love for you and always going to be there for you. For him to say that in that moment really means a lot, and not only just him but a lot of my teammates did that and coaches and loved ones. I'm just really appreciative of that. That support really helps me because I get the other side of it, as well, where I get -- and I'm well deserving of all of it. I don't shy away from it, good or bad. I'm going to keep my chest up and my chin high regardless.
Q: The season is over; how do you think this is going to (indiscernible)?
CS: I mean, we'll go back and look at the film, but I don't try to book it all together. Every year is different. I mean, this year, point blank, we just didn't put points on the scoreboard. Our defense got stops all year, got turnovers, put us in great position. I didn't put us in position to get us the wins by scoring points and seven, not three. That's kind of how I look at it, and that's what it is, so I take full responsibility. I'm the leader of the offense, and a lot of the things are on me to get it done to get us seven, and we just didn't get that done this year, and I didn't get that done. I take full responsibility, but I think as I look back, maybe that's the thing we've got to get better offensively.
Q: I know you've heard this before, but you had such a dominant first year. Do you think it's unfair that people continue to (indiscernible)?
CS: No, I mean, everybody is entitled to their own opinion. I know that I'm still getting better, and I've still got a lot of things to figure out. Year three for me. It will be year four next year, and I'm still learning every day. Had a new system this year and new guys and it's something I'm still getting adjusted to. That's no excuses, just I've got to learn from that. I don't try to -- I try my best to forget successes and failures. Regardless of what it is in that specific season, I'm going to learn from this, and I'm going to move on, I'll be better, and I'm going to be back.
Q: The Patriots' defensive line was sort of controlling the game tonight, stopped the run well. How does it affect your game particularly having the turnovers and specifically the Patriots defense?
CS: Yeah, they did a good job of stunting, and we knew that. They had a really good D-line and they were good on the back end. You know, the pick six, he made a heck of a play. I tried to make a play and had a guy open, but he hit my arm and made a great play. I just in that moment, probably just take a sack and go on to the next play. But it's something I can learn from, and it just sucks that it has to be in this game, in this environment, on this stage. But like I said, I'm not going to hold my head down. I just feel bad. I really feel like I let my teammates down. But I'm going to move forward.
Q: Will was saying in the locker room, obviously every team changes (indiscernible) what are your thoughts, obviously a lot of time to reflect just on the core of guys you have on this team?
CS: Yeah, I think it comes back to the foundation. I think the way the McNairs have built our organization with hiring DeMeco and Nick, I thought they did a great job. I think the future is bright for us, and I'm excited to be in it and to be on this team and in this city. I don't take that for granted. But I think Will is right; we have a lot of ball left in our careers, God willing. We're going to learn from this and move on.
Q: It looked like your hand got a little banged up. How is your hand feeling? Did that happen?
CS: Yeah, I got hit, but that happens every game. It didn't really affect it. Probably just tried to shake it and get some blood flow back in it, but it didn't really affect it in many ways.
Q: A lot of your teammates and coaches obviously have your back. What does that mean to you?
CS: Yeah, it means a lot. It means the world to me because I know the work -- I see the work people put in every day. I see the grind that we've been put on, especially when we went 0-3, and for us to win nine or ten in a row, I see everybody get in there early, put their best foot forward and don't blame, don't point fingers and just work. So I'm just really appreciative of that, and I don't take that lightly. I just want them to know that I love them, and I told them that, and I will always be there for them, and I know they're there for me. This isn't the end; this is just something in my story and our story as the Texans, that God willing, it'll get better soon.
ADDITIONAL TEXANS PLAYERS
Woody Marks, RB
(On the game and what happened out there today)
"Everybody needs to just follow the details and being on top of their game."
(On supporting C.J. Stroud)
"Ah, yeah for sure, just keeping him up and play the next play and even though we got turnovers we need to play the next play and not letting him down. He is the leader of the offense, so he can't have his head down."
(On the team going forward)
"This a great team and everybody needs to come back and get back to work. We got get in the gym and we have got to do what we have got to do."
Xavier Hutchinson, WR
(On his thoughts of the game and CJ Stroud)
"There is no need to pick him up. CJ [Stroud] is one of the best quarterbacks in the league. I stand on that, and I believe that. It wasn't the best game for a lot of us, man, but you know, that is just how the ball goes sometimes. There is no like, picking up, though. I mean he is already there and he knows what he can do. It was all about us, you know, just playing ball, and it is really just capitalizing on all of the opportunities that we got, and, you know, we didn't do that tonight."
(On the offense and what they need to do in the future to go further in playoff games)
"Not beat ourselves. You know, I should and I had a hand in that so it doesn't feel great but, I mean, it's just plain and simple, you can't beat yourselves in the playoffs and that's exactly what we did today."
(On what adjustments they made in the second half)
"No adjustments. We just didn't beat ourselves. And that's what happens when you don't beat yourself. We are a good team and we are a good offense and a lot of the times we got in our own way and when you get in your own way in the playoffs, you know, you tend to be on the opposite side of winning, so."
Tommy Togiai, DT.
(On how tough this was to end)
"First of all, I just want to shout out God. Just thankful for the position we put everybody in and being here. Obviously, yeah, not the result we were looking for. Just proud of all the guys, all season, being resilient and fighting till the very end. We came up short. I'm just proud of the guys that I went to war with every day."
(On the defensive mentality after the offensive turnovers)
"It's a sudden change for us. We want to go out there. It doesn't matter what the offense did, honestly. What we've got to do is put up a stop. So, for us to go out there, we've just got to do our game. I mean, obviously, we don't want the turnovers, but we can't control that. So, we just have to go out and play our ball."
(On how the defense played today against the Patriots)
"Shout out to them. It's a good team, and they made plays when they had to. Obviously, we want some of those plays back that they had. But I'm just proud of the way we fought on defense and played the whole night. I thought we played on a solid game, but obviously some plays we needed back."
Azeez Al-Shaair, LB.
(On what is needed to get to the next level)
"I think every single one of them is different. How we lost last year wasn't the same as how we lost this year and the year before I got here. So, that's the thing that's so challenging, but it's also such a blessing about the game, that it's never the same. I think we like to say, 'Oh, well how are you going to do it?' I have no clue, because this group is over. This is it. That's the part that stinks. The new group that we're going to have going into the new year, even if 90% of the roster is the same – it's a new year, it's a new journey, it's a new mountain that you have to climb, and that's what kills you when you lose. But that's what makes it such a blessing. When you can reflect on how far you've come. From where this team started to where we ended up, I'm sure 90% of you all did not think we would be in the position that we were in, starting the season off 0-3 or even 3-5. So, I'm truly grateful to be a part of this group and a part of this team, the mindset that everybody has and the way that everybody is."
(On the defense keeping them in the game despite the turnovers)
"I talked to the dudes on Saturday. I talked about the story of Noah's Ark. When Noah was formulating the ark, everybody around him was like, 'What the heck are you doing?' All the criticism and all the naysayers, you just have to trust in God and do the work. I told the guys, it doesn't matter what happens. If it's God's will, and we put the work in, we'll be exactly where we want to be. That's what got us this far in the first place. It's just putting our heads down and working. So, I mean, all the way until literally the very last drive, I just believed that some way, somehow, we can make it happen. It just stinks that it didn't work out that way."
(On what he would say to C.J. Stroud having a tough game)
"Last year, it was me. Last year I was hurt. Both my knees were hurting, I gave up a touchdown. Dude standing over me, taunting me. I played terrible. So, I know exactly what it feels like to feel like you let the team down. I remember sitting in the locker room in Kansas City literally saying that to the whole team. I couldn't look nobody in the face. So, for me, I know about that pain. I told C.J. already, it's just the work – just put the work in. Don't forget the feeling, let it fuel you to where you want to go moving forward for this next season. But that's what it's about. Just putting the work in, just putting your head down and just blocking out the noise, and just correcting what you feel like you need to get better at."
