Houston Texans' DeMeco Ryans Stresses Importance of Entering Bye Week With Win

How important was it for coach DeMeco Ryans to enter the bye week with an impressive victory over the Saints?

HOUSTON — The Houston Texans have entered the bye week on a high note. Sunday afternoon, the Texans recorded a 20-13 victory over the New Orleans Saints inside NRG Stadium.

Finishing the first quarter of the regular 2023 campaign on an encouraging note was a significant point of emphasis for the Texans, who won their third game of the year three months earlier than the season before.

"It’s something we talked about all week is just finishing, finishing this week 3-3," coach DeMeco Ryans said. "We know our team is continuing to improve, continuing to get better, but it was very important for us to finish with a win this week before heading into our bye week."

The Texans' production on both sides of the ball left Ryans pleased. He was proud of the offense finding ways to generate points against the league's fourth-best defense. Ryans said C.J. Stroud's performance against the Saints showcased his continuous growth as a rookie quarterback. Stroud finished the game 13-of-27 attempts for 199 yards and two touchdowns.

Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans on the sideline during the third quarter against the New Orleans Saints at NRG Stadium / Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

But Ryans' most significant joy came due to the play from his defense, who held the Saints to 0-3 in the red zone. Linebacker Blake Cashman had a career day with 15 tackles, nine solo hits, two tackles for loss and a pair of pass deflections.

"You can enjoy your bye week a little bit better off of a win," Ryans said. "Definitely still things to clean up and we understand that. On all three phases there are a lot of things we can clean up. But it’s a lot easier to clean things up with a win."

The 2019 season marked the last time the Texans possessed a record of .500 or better. And by defeating the Saints, Houston has its first 3-3 record since 2018.

The Texans' third win of the season in 2018 was in the middle of a nine-game winning streak, which resulted in Houston finishing with 11 wins. The Texans may not match their win total from five years ago. But the franchise is on track to add more wins in the victory column than the previous two seasons combined.