'Just Play Clean!' Texans' DeMeco Ryans Focused on Playoff Berth vs. Colts on Saturday

Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans is not worried about his team's primetime slot on Saturday. Instead, he is focused on earning a playoff berth.

The Houston Texans will be on the national stage on Saturday night when they face the Indianapolis Colts in a game with massive playoff implications.

The Texans will play in the second of two NFL games on Saturday when they travel to Lucas Oil Stadium, but there is much more on the line than a simple primetime slot. If Houston wins, it clinches a playoff berth, and that is priority No. 1 for head coach DeMeco Ryans.

“We’re really excited about just our opportunity and what this game means for us to earn a spot into the playoffs,” Ryans said. “So, we’re excited about that opportunity. Whether it’s primetime or not, it doesn’t matter to us. We just want to go out and play good football. Play our brand of football, execute, and just play clean.” 

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It's been months since these two division foes faced one another, the first coming in Week 2 in the form of a 31-20 win for Indianapolis. A lot has changed since then, and now, both of these revamped franchises have their eyes on the postseason after disappointing 2022 campaigns.

“We’re a completely different team; they’re a completely different team,” Ryans said. “For me, it’s all a fresh start. For us, I don’t really put much weight on the first game of the year. I start watching, and I’m like, ‘Man, who is this team?’ It seems like that was so long ago, playing that second game, so fresh start for both teams. I think they have different players in, we have different players in. It’ll be a fresh start.”

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Kickoff between Indianapolis and Houston is set for 7:15 p.m. CT on Saturday, and the game will be televised on ESPN.