'Wasn’t Our Time': Texans Holding Heads High Amid Playoff Loss To Ravens
How special was the 2023 season for the Houston Texans?
Seriously, go back to August and remember the expectations for a franchise that won 11 games over a three-year span with a first-year head coach and a rookie quarterback.
Six wins? It was probably expected. Seven victories? Ok, there's a foundation for the future. A winning record? Houston exceeded the preseason win total and then some. A postseason berth? Unlikely.
A playoff win? Get out of here.
Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports
Well, the latter happened. All of it occurred over four months and was surrounded by injuries, standing changes, and a slew of moves on the waiver wire.
The Texans posted their first winning season since 2019. They won the division and bested the heavy-favorite Cleveland Browns while donning the "us vs. the world" persona along the way.
It just wasn't their afternoon Saturday amid a 34-10 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Houston learned the hard way that while improved, it's still a ways back from winning a conference title, let alone a Lombardi Trophy.
“This wasn’t our time right now,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “We didn’t get it done. I’m proud of each and every coach and player in the locker room for what we accomplished throughout the entire year here and for how we grew through the entire year."
No, it wasn't the Texans' time. It might not be anyone's moment other than Baltimore's if Lamar Jackson keeps defenses slipping at the line of scrimmage to create opportunities for big-time plays.
Jackson, the favorite to win this year's MVP, was a magician evading the Texans' pass rush to turn a loss of a down into a fresh set of plays. He threw for 152 yards and two touchdowns and tacked on another 100 yards and two scores with his legs.
Jackson, who closing in on Year 6, posted his third 100-yard rushing performance in the postseason. He became the fifth player in league history to record two touchdown passes and two rushing touchdowns in the same playoff game.
It likely wouldn't have mattered if Houston, Buffalo or Kansas City came to M&T Bank Stadium Saturday on a windy afternoon. Jackson was on a mission to silence the critics, and everyone would have fallen victim to his efforts.
Houston, unfortunately, was the one caught in the line of fire.
"That’s why he’s the MVP. He made a ton of great plays," said Ryans of Jackson's performance. "We didn’t make plays. It’s what it all comes down to."
Stopping Jackson was only a third of the battle. Houston needed to score points and avoid similar results from the Week 1 defeat, a tall task against a defense allowing fewer than 17 points per contest.
Over eight quarters, the Texans found the end zone once, and it came on a 67-yard punt return by Steven Sims to tie the game at 10 with just over four minutes left on the clock before halftime.
Jackson responded coming out of the break with a 15-yard scamper. Houston's offense never kicked it into the next gear. It had four second-half drives and none went for more than 30 yards. Two ended in punts, one ended in a failed fourth-down conversion and the final one ended the game.
“They are a really good unit,” Ryans said of the Ravens’ defense. “I think they’ve been No. 1 throughout the entire season for a reason, starting with their personnel."
Penalties didn't help the Texans' case, either. Houston was flagged a franchise record 11 times, eight of which came in the first half with seven against the offense. Four linemen were flagged at least once for a false start.
Rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud was flagged twice, once for intentional grounding and the other for a delay of game. His 175 passing yards were the lowest through a full game since Week 8's defeat against the Carolina Panthers.
“These types of losses suck,” Stroud said. “That’s a great Ravens team over there. They deserved to win. It’s tough to get embarrassed like that.”
The Ravens are a great team. A championship-caliber one in a sense. The roster is six years into the making and has remained a constant player in the postseason.
The Texans are a good team. They can be great in the future. A few new additions, but development of talent, and perhaps the roles reverse in 2025.
Maybe 2026 at the latest, right?
One loss against the NFL's best team shouldn't take away from Houston's run to redemption. They totaled the same number of wins as the previous three years combined.
They secured a division title when most thought they'd secure a top-three pick for the Arizona Cardinals in April's draft.
Their offense found a spark and a breakout pass-catcher who could eventually become one of the league's top targets. And if Nico Collins is breaking records, watch out for Tank Dell, who could have posted 1,000 yards as a rookie if not for a broken fibula.
Their defense steered past-plagued problems of the past and recovered on all three stages. Derek Stingley lived up to the first-round hype in spurts. Will Anderson Jr. justified the trade-up Nick Caserio made last April with his rookie record-breaking sack total.
The Texans own a projected $76 million in salary cap space. They've become a franchise with more to offer than lucrative funds to free agents. Their first-round pick should be in line to add a premier receiver or defensive lineman as part of the future core.
Houston's run of a lifetime ended before the finish line. That's only for 2023. When looking at it from a long-term perspective, the Texans are only past the first turn.
Their run is just getting started.
"We accomplished a lot this year," said Ryans. "We're looking to the future."
