'It Starts Up Front': DeMeco Ryans Opens Up About Playoff Loss to Ravens

Houston Texans coach DeMeco Ryans revealed where his team came up short on Saturday against the Baltimore Ravens.

BALTIMORE, MD — The Houston Texans' season ended disappointingly Saturday night in a 34-10 AFC Divisional Round loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Presumed league MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson put on a show at M&T Bank Stadium. 

He finished the game throwing for 152 yards and a pair of touchdowns. But what made Jackson's performance dominant was his athleticism. He led the Ravens in rushing with 100 yards on 11 attempts while running in two touchdowns.

The Texans' offense failed to match the production of the Ravens due to their inability to move the ball with their passing attack. 

Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud drops back to pass against the Baltimore Ravens during the second quarter of a 2024 AFC divisional round game at M&T Bank Stadium / Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

“[The Ravens] are a really good unit. I think they’ve been No. 1 throughout the entire season for a reason, starting with their personnel," coach DeMeco Ryans said. "[They have] great personnel, and it starts up front. It’s tough to handle upfront when it comes to the run game, and then just schematically, with presenting the pressure, dropping out, they did a really good job of just changing up their looks, [and] we could never quite get going offensively."

Houston recorded 175 passing yards in the loss. Their lone touchdown came amid a 76-yard punt return by wide receiver Steven Sims. Ryans credited the Ravens' defense for the offensive struggles the Texans experienced. 

However, the undisciplined brand of football played a significant role in Houston's passing game struggles.  

The Texans finished with 11 penalties for 70 yards. Their worst came during the first quarter when Houston was called for six penalties for 40 yards.

'Kind of a Fail!' Stroud Evaluates Playoff Loss, Reveals View on 'Foundation Set' for Future

"The penalties really hurt us," Stroud said. "We had something going there with those pre-snap penalties, something that we had made a step from, and we reverted back to when we weren’t winning games. We were playing sloppy, and you can’t have penalties against a really good defense."

Rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud finished with 175 yards while completing 57.6 percent of his passes. It marked the second time Stroud failed to throw a passing touchdown — his first came during the Texans' season-opening loss to the Ravens on Sept. 10.

Wide receiver Nico Collins ended his career season with five catches for 68 yards. Running back Devin Singletary added 58 yards on five catches.