The magic had to end eventually.
In a season where they were predicted to win six games, the Houston Texans under head coach DeMeco Ryans and rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud massively outperformed expectations. The team finished 10-7 and captured their first AFC South title since 2019 to make the playoffs. They then took down the Cleveland Browns, 45-14, in the wild-card round to advance to the divisional round – which the franchise had never gotten past.
And then they ran into a brick wall on Saturday against the Baltimore Ravens.
Houston rode C.J. Stroud and very well schemed passing to the Divisional Round.
They’ve run into a team that can stop their run very easily and commit all available resources to the pass. Baltimore was ready.
The Texans needs more talent. They’ll have it next year #WeAreTexans
— John Crumpler (@JohnHCrumpler) January 21, 2024
The Ravens easily handled Houston 34-10 at home. It was a contest where the offense seemingly had no answers and the defense wasn’t able to hold up in the second half against likely 2023 MVP Lamar Jackson.
Stroud finished 19-of-33 for 175 yards passing. Ravens defensive coordinator Mike MacDonald was able to commit major resources to the pass and shut down what had been a dynamic element of Houston’s offense through the air under offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik.
Running back Devin Singletary finished with a mere 22 yards on nine carries. Wide receiver Nico Collins had 68 yards on five receptions, and tight end Dalton Schultz had 43 yards on five receptions. Houston could never get the ball moving under constant pressure from the Ravens front and creative coverage schemes on the back end.
FINAL: The AFC runs through Baltimore!@Ravens | #NFLPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/QGBFGyYbNo
— NFL (@NFL) January 21, 2024
Defensively, it was one of DeMeco Ryans’ more impressive schematic showings while it lasted. The Texans defense held the Baltimore offense to just 10 points in the first half and frustrated Jackson with constant blitzing.
However, with the consistent offensive failures, it wasn’t enough in the second half. Baltimore finished with 352 total yards, and Jackson passed for 152 passing yards and two touchdowns in addition to rushing for 100 yards and two scores. It was a true MVP performance.
The Texans blitzed on 13 of 18 dropbacks in the first half (72.2%), generating 10 pressures and 3 sacks on blitzes.
Entering today, DeMeco Ryans had never blitzed on a majority of dropbacks in a game during his 3 seasons as a defensive play caller.#HOUvsBAL | #WeAreTexans
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) January 20, 2024
The game was a tough reminder for Houston fans that the team wasn’t anticipated to be here with their current talent level and will need additional help moving forward. How they learn to run the ball and better support Stroud against prepared, elite defenses will be a question for the offseason.
There will be plenty of spending for the Texans this year with $72 million in salary cap space and a full cast of draft picks. It’s likely they’ll be favored in the AFC South entering 2024.
Stroud, a true franchise quarterback, and Ryans, a phenomenal leader, will have to wait till next year for another shot.