Texans' C.J. Stroud, DeMeco Ryans Enter Historic NFL Territory

Entering what's now their third consecutive AFC divisional round appearance since arriving on the scene for the Houston Texans in 2023, the duo of DeMeco Ryans and C.J. Stroud has cemented themselves as one of the most consistent and successful head coach and quarterback pairings currently within the NFL.

So much so, that they've now entered some exclusive territory for the work they've put together in the past three seasons.

With their latest Wild Card win over the Pittsburgh Steelers to advance them into the AFC playoff picture, Ryan and Stroud are now the second head coach and quarterback tandem to have made a divisional round appearance in each of their first three years.

Coach 🤝 QB1️⃣ pic.twitter.com/vuYlkcruZE
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) January 16, 2026

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The only other duo to have accomplished said feat was the now-former Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh and quarterback Joe Flacco, who each made the divisional round in their first three seasons together from 2008 to 2010.

Now, Ryan and Stroud are the latest to enter their names into that exclusive club, and of course, will be looking to reach similar heights that same Ravens duo ended up hitting in 2013 with a Super Bowl victory.

DeMeco Ryans, C.J. Stroud Looking to Keep Texans Rolling

It certainly won't be easy to walk into Foxborough against the Patriots and walk away with a victory against Mike Vrabel's squad, especially with the hot streak they've been on throughout their second half of the season––looking eerily similar to how well Houston's capped off their campaign heading into this one.

New England's won 14 of their last 15 games, the Texans have won their last 10, and whoever wins the next one will be punching their ticket to be one of the final four teams battling for a Super Bowl trophy.

The stakes are hard to get any higher, but thankfully, Houston's head coach and quarterback duo have gathered some welcomed experience since arriving in 2023 to prepare for a moment like this.

Jan 12, 2026; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin greets Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans following their AFC Wild Card Round game at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images | Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

If able to keep that momentum rolling into an 11th straight win, it'd mean the Texans would be en route to their first-ever conference championship appearance since entering the league in 2002, which would certainly be the biggest accomplishment yet for the tenure that this team has been led by the guidance of Ryans and Stroud, and in turn, get over the hump in the divisional round that they've yet to do in their previous two times of being on the stage.

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