Coach DeMeco Ryans on Houston Texans Bye Week: 'We Spent It On Ourselves!'

A week of no Houston Texans football gave coach DeMeco Ryans and company a chance to relax, but also reflect and work on improving ahead of facing the Carolina Panthers Sunday.

On a Sunday morning that lacked the anticipation of Houston Texans football, coach DeMeco Ryans and company were reflecting... and relaxing a little bit. 

Six-straight weeks of football saw Houston experience both the highs and lows of a new coach, new system and new-look roster. The Texans started out slow, dropping two straight games to open the season. 

Then they started winning. Houston found its groove, and suddenly, the hype made sense. Behind C.J. Stroud, Tank Dell, and non-rookie additions like Robert Woods and Dalton Schultz, the Texans were playing the way they were expected to - The way Ryans envisioned. 

Oct 15, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans laughs with quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) before the game against the New Orleans Saints at NRG Stadium / © Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

That made for an exciting few weeks that followed. The Texans were winning, and — had it not been for Younghoe Koo — would have been on a four-game win streak heading into the bye week.

That wasn't quite the case, however, which only gave Houston more reason to look for improvements over the bye — something that Ryans said was heavily emphasized.

"Most of the time we spent during the bye week was spent on ourselves," Ryans said. "[We were] self-scouting. Seeing where we can get better. Normally, you don't get that time throughout the season ... to take a breath [and] step back." 

"Stepping back," for the Texans, involved looking at both the good and bad of their season to that point. They looked at their wins, losses and stand-out performances in order to better gauge their position heading into Week 8. 

"In the first six weeks, we did a lot of things really well," Ryans said. "We've played some good ball, but there's a ton of room for improvement. That excites me." 

Sitting at the top of Houston's positives list is Stroud and the passing game. Through six games, the Texans fall within the top 10 of all NFL squads in passing touchdowns, rating and interceptions thrown — the latter of which they lead the league in. Stroud has found his footing and seemingly offset some of the Texans' rushing struggles. 

As Houston prepares to hit the field for another Sunday football game, it will look to build on the personal success it found during the week off. Doing so will be crucial, as it could lead to more wins and even a chance at the AFC South title. 

The Texans' next shot at doing that will be against Bryce Young and the Carolina Panthers on the road. Kickoff from Bank of America Stadium is set for 12 p.m. CST.