'Focus On the Day!' Texans Coach DeMeco Ryans Stresses Importance of Not Looking Ahead During Playoff Push

Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans wants to keep his players grounded in the moment in the final weeks of the regular season.

There is a lot still on the table for the 2023 Houston Texans as they enter Week 16 of the NFL season.

Although they would be left out of the playoffs if the season ended today, Houston is still very much "in the hunt" for a spot in the postseason and even an AFC South title. With three games left in the regular season, Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans is stressing the importance of his team not looking ahead and worrying about playoff seeding.

Instead, he just wants his players to play ball.

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“It’s a great position that we’re in as a team, and it’s a credit to our guys and the work they put in to put us in this position," Ryans said on Monday. "So when it comes to first place and all those things, for us, we just focus on the moment. Focus on the day.

"Every man in the room, just focus on continuing to improve their game, continue to do as best as they can for the team and focus on helping the team in any way they can, and those standings and all those things with playoff implications, they’ll take care of themselves if we handle the ball the right way on the field.”

Looking ahead for Houston could be dangerous, anyway, especially with the injuries that have piled up at key positions in recent weeks.

'Meaningful Football' Isn't The Only Goal For Texans Coach DeMeco Ryans

Texans rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud is still in concussion protocol after suffering the injury against the New York Jets in Week 14, so the offense could once again be turned over to Case Keenum this week when the Cleveland Browns come to town.

Kickoff on Sunday between Houston and Cleveland is set for 12 p.m. CT, and the game will be televised on CBS.