DeMeco Ryans Breaks Down What Led to Texans' Loss vs. Broncos

The Houston Texans came up short of a much-needed victory over the Denver Broncos.

Keith Cummings | Nov 3, 2025

Nov 2, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans during the first half against the Denver Broncos at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images / Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

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Losing starting quarterback C.J. Stroud after his brutal second-quarter collision with Denver Broncos cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine somewhat predictably proved to be a death blow for the Houston Texans.

Having to go with veteran backup signal caller Davis Mills was always going to provide plenty of ready-made excuses for Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans, and to a limited degree, he indulged them post-game.

"I thought Davis battled, tried to do a good job there, he battled," Ryans insisted after losing to the Broncos. "But it just didn't do well offensively once we lost C.J."

Of course, the prevailing theory in some quarters is that, had Stroud stayed in the game, more than 15 points would have materialized, but it only partly holds up; the Broncos’ talented defense is legit.

Therefore, Ryans was left to lament over how losing Stroud when left them backed into a corner, a place from which they just couldn't fight their way free once again.

"Disappointed as a team that we didn't finish the game," Ryans lamented. "The defense, they did a good job of getting stops multiple times. We just sputtered there offensively, we lacked just being able to move the ball. We lacked just being able to sustain drives there in the second half. It just wasn't good enough."

DeMeco Ryans Urges Texans to Play Complementary Football

Nov 2, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans during the first half against the Denver Broncos at

Moving forward, Stroud entering the concussion protocol only serves to remind everyone that this 3-5 Texans team does indeed desperately need him under center, post haste.

Stubbornly, playing the kind of complementary football required relies on all the Texans’ moving components working just right.

Unfortunately for Ryans, as things panned out on Sunday, Houston's impressive defensive unit hung tough for nearly 60 minutes with Bo Nix and Co. before ultimately being left hanging.

While the air certainly went out of the building when Stroud's head crashed into the surface during the second quarter, the Texans, most importantly, never quit on the mission to climb back into the competitive mix.

"It's easy to stand up here and make excuses, but at the end of the day, I truly believe (injuries) happen all across the league all the time, " Ryans conceded. "You don't make excuses about who's in the game, who's not in the game. We still had an opportunity there to close the game out and win it. It's just a matter of, are you remaining disciplined in the moment? Everybody has to pull their weight."

Ryans Thinks Broncos Should've Been Flagged for C.J. Stroud Hit

Nov 2, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) scrambles during the first half against the Denver Broncos at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sean Thomas-Imagn Images / Sean Thomas-Imagn Images

For as open and honest as the Texans’ boss was about coming up short in the hugely disappointing 18-15 loss, Ryans was perhaps a little more misguided about events in the immediate aftermath of the robust hit, which ruled Stroud out for the remainder of the contest.

"He hit the quarterback when he's sliding and giving himself up," Ryans declared afterward. "If I'm incorrect on the rule, I've seen that happen multiple times with our guys, and we get the penalty. But for some reason, it just didn't happen there."

But in all fairness, the officiating crew got the word down to pick the defenseless player flag up on the Broncos, and this week will very likely fail to see a retrospective fine get levied upon Abrams-Draine either.

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Either way you slice it, Ryans will have to admit that his team went into its offensive shell when confronted by the Broncos’ relentless attack on their backup quarterback.

Even when Stroud was still under center, the same old issues in the red zone, short yardage situations, and particularly in crucial goalline scenarios, simply found the Texans severely lacking over and over again.

"For us offensively, again, it all goes back to, it's in the red zone," Ryans admitted. do a better job of finding a way to get in the end zone. If we can't get in the end zone, scoring points is gonna be hard."

It's a tricky puzzle that Ryans and the Texans’ coaching staff will likely have to find a solution for in short order, especially if Stroud's head knock turns out to be as bad as it first looked to everyone in attendance.

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