Head Coach DeMeco Ryans and QB Davis Mills spoke to the press after the team's loss to the Denver Broncos, and Ryans was blunt in his assessment of the game.
"To start for us, it wasn't good enough," Ryans said. "We were in the red zone multiple times as an offense there at the one yard line, had multiple opportunities to get it in."
Red Zone Defines the Day
Mills, thrust into action after C.J. Stroud was injured, described the team's struggles in the red zone in stark terms.
"We get down to the one yard line like twice, red zone four or five times, and got to come out of those drives with touchdowns rather than field goals," Mills said. "I mean, that's the biggest difference in the game."
For Ryans, the failure to convert at the goal line was about willpower.
"That's just about, it's sheer willpower to me at the one yard line," he said. "We gotta find a way to displace guys at the line of scrimmage and punch the football in. That's what it takes in that situation. We didn't get it done."
The numbers told a damning story. The Texans went three of 17 on third down. "That's not winning football," Ryans said flatly.
Mills' Performance
Mills initially moved the ball well after entering for an injured Stroud, but the Broncos adjusted. Denver defensive coordinator Vance Joseph mixed coverages effectively, according to Ryans, and the offense could no longer move the ball effectively.
"We just sputtered there offensively," Ryans said. "We lacked just being able to sustain drives there in the second half, it just wasn't good enough. We kind of sputtered along, had quick three and outs when it's not good enough."
No Excuses Despite Mounting Injuries
Despite losing multiple players to injuries, Ryans refused to lean on injuries as an excuse.
"A lot of guys went down, and it's easy to stand up here and make excuses about, like, at the end of the day, I truly believe, like, that happens all across the league all the time," Ryans said. "And you don't make excuses about who's in the game or who's not in the game. We still had an opportunity there to close the game out and win it."
The head coach's message was direct: whether you start or not the job is to execute.
"It's just a matter of, man, are you remaining disciplined in the moment? Are you playing the way you're supposed to play, doing the things you need to do to win the game?" Ryans said. "Everybody has to pull their weight. No matter who you are, when you get your opportunity to play in that game, if you suit up, you have to be ready to go out and execute and play good football."
Denver's Defense Earns Credit
Both Mills and Ryans gave credit where it was due. The Broncos' defense, led by Joseph's scheme, made the plays that mattered.
"A lot of props to that Denver defense. They have a lot of good players on that side of the ball," Mills said. "It was a challenge for us."
Ryans pointed to Denver quarterback Bo Nix making a crucial play late in the game when discipline broke down.
"Bo made a great play there. I think we held him in check for most of the game, and in a critical moment, there it is," Ryans said. "Their guy stepped up, and he made a play. That's what the NFL is about."
"In the fourth quarter, right, we had a lack of discipline there and some other times throughout the game, lack of discipline allowed them to get in scoring position and also score a couple of times on us," Ryans said.
Looking Ahead
"Nothing's ruled out yet," Mills said, looking ahead. "We got a lot of good players on our team. We got a lot of good football ahead of us. We just got to keep pressing forward and go out there and play our best ball."
The path forward, according to both QB and coach, requires better execution in the moments that define games.
"We have a lot of guys on our team who are fully capable of going out there and winning each play and making good football plays," Mills said. "So I think we got to keep pressing forward and keep preparing for our next opponent and find ways to get better from this game to go out there and execute."
Ryans echoed that sentiment, bringing the focus back to the fundamental issue that defined Sunday's loss.
"For us offensively, again, it all goes back to, it's in the red zone," he said. "We gotta do a better job of finding a way to get in the end zone. If we can't get in the end zone, scoring points is gonna be hard."
The Texans are back at home in Week 10 when they host the Jacksonville Jaguars at NRG Stadium on November 9 at 12 p.m.
