Following a 31-2 Christmas Day loss to the Ravens, Head Coach DeMeco Ryans and the Texans are ready to turn the page and regroup for their season finale at Tennessee.
The Texans will face the Titans in Week 18 at Nissan Stadium in Nashville. The day and time is to be determined, as the NFL will release the schedule for that final weekend of games next week.
Houston will also host a Wild Card Playoff game at NRG Stadium the weekend after that game at Tennessee.
Trailing 10-2 in the second quarter, the Texans drove to inside the Baltimore 5-yard line. Houston went for it on 4th-and-Goal at the Ravens' 4-yard line, but a C.J. Stroud completion to Joe Mixon was stopped a yard shy of the end zone. Five plays later, the Ravens scored a touchdown and took a 17-2 lead, and cruised the rest of the way.
Ryans was disappointed, and described what must be done now.
"We'll take the next couple of days here to look at everything, starting with myself," Ryans said. "Everything starts with me. But as a team, we just stay together, figure out a way to come out playing better football."
Wide receiver John Metchie, III finished with five catches for 48 yards, and didn't think an upcoming stretch of 11 days until the next game should be spent relaxing.
"We should all be working," Metchie said. "It's not like it's time to chill. It's not like the season's over. It's not time for a bye week. I think we should all be working: whether it's working on getting healthy or working on how to get better."
When the Texans do return to work, Ryans detailed what he wants them to do.
"I told all our guys just check themselves, right," Ryans said. "Starting with coaches and players, you got to check yourself. And are you getting it done or not? You come back fired up and you come back showing that's not who we are. Because at the end of the day, that's not who we are. That's not what we represent, what we put out there and on the field today."
Quarterback C.J. Stroud was sacked five times and picked off once in the loss, but was hopeful about the weeks to come.
"It's all about how you respond," Stroud said. "You hit rock bottom. The only way is up. We still have a lot of hope. Got to finish this year the right way against Tennessee. Hopefully, by that time we're in a groove and rolling when the playoffs come."
