DeMeco Ryans Sees Thin Margin for Texans in Playoffs

The Houston Texans will have their most important task of this season ahead of them this weekend as the Wild Card Round approaches against the Pittsburgh Steelers, putting Houston to the test in postseason football after rattling off a nine-game win streak to end the regular season.

But while Houston had their recent success to close out the regular season, the playoffs are a totally different beast than what those past 17 games have been. Everyone now starts 0-0 with razor-thin margin for error in a one-game elimination setting, where everything matters with the season on the line.

And in the eyes of Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans, preparing for his third-straight playoff appearance since being hired, such a setup now places a much bigger magnifying glass on the finer details.

"The biggest difference is those details and those fine techniques that we talk about all the time. If you're not on it, you get exposed, and you can end up in a pretty tough situation that's harder to climb out of," Ryans said of what's different in the playoffs."

"So, we know these games are all going to be tight. They're going to be tough. Everybody’s in the playoffs for a reason. Everybody's earned that opportunity to get into the playoffs. So for me, it’s everybody just has to tighten up on what we're doing. Offensively, defensively, special teams-wise, we all have to tighten up— starting with us as coaches. We gotta tighten up to make sure we're all on the same page and make sure that our players know exactly what they should be doing and how to get it done."

DeMeco Ryans Wants Texans to Refine Details in Postseason

As if every play didn't matter in the regular season as is, that mindset now gets even further emphasized with the postseason officially arrived. One critical mistake could make or break the last four months of work for the entire roster and organization, and for the Texans specifically, ends what has been an inspiring recent run to go from 0-3 to 12-5 with a third-straight playoff berth.

That means for the Texans, in particular, that all starts with some steady consistency offensively.

C.J. Stroud will need to step up big to make those downfield throws and revert back to the rookie form of himself that everyone remembers and romanticizes about. The run game, behind the legs of rookie runner Woody Marks, also has to remain up to par as Houston's bound to hit the road and likely be set in a few tough football weather scenes, depending on how far they advance.

Jan 4, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans head coach Demeco Ryans with cornerback Myles Bryant (25) on the sidelines during the second half against the Indianapolis Colts at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

Another factor the Texans must keep in check: penalties––a consistent issue that's plagued this team for most of the year, and now leaves them with the third-highest penalty total of those in the playoffs throughout the regular season, and tasks Ryan with making sure his team is ready for the stage that is the playoffs, and limiting those persistent mistakes that have now led to over eight flags a game coming their way in 2025.

Through the past nine weeks of the regular season, Ryans has had no issue making sure his guys are prepared with high stakes at hand, and the playoffs won't be much different. But with the season now officially on the line for the entire league, everything now gets amplified, thus making those little details throughout the game vital to get right.

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