'Have to Play Better!' Texans Coach DeMeco Ryans Sets Expectations for Week 17

The Houston Texans are still in search of an AFC playoff berth, but in order to reach that goal, they have to improve from the last two weeks.

The Houston Texans are still in search of an AFC playoff berth, but after a disappointing loss to the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, they know that they have to buckle down moving forward.

The Texans fell to the Browns 36-22 at home on Christmas Eve, and although they are still in the running for a postseason berth, the path became more difficult after a lackluster showing at NRG Stadium.

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“Anytime your team goes out and performs like that to start, it just wasn’t good enough,” Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans said. “You try to figure out why it wasn’t good enough. Felt like we had a good week of preparation. We were on. We knew what we had to do to win the game, and that was eliminate the explosive passes.”

Houston will host the Tennessee Titans this week in what has become a must-win game for its playoff hopes. Instead of focusing on the postseason, however, Ryans and the Texans are focusing on the "controllable" aspects of the next two weeks, namely improving their performance on the field.

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“Before we have an opportunity to talk about a playoff or get in, we’ve got to play better,” Ryans said. “You have to earn those spots to get into the playoffs. So, if we go and play better and earn a spot, then we can talk about possibly the playoff race and what does that look like. But, until then, we’ve got to do a much better job collectively.”

Kickoff on Sunday between the Titans and Texans is set for 12 p.m. CT, and the game will be televised on FOX.