DeMeco Ryans explains late-game management in Texans loss to Patriots
Ryans should be facing scrutiny for how he and his staff handled the second half of their playoff loss to the Patriots.
The Texans came up short against the Patriots for a number of reasons, chief among them the struggles of quarterback C.J. Stroud and his four interceptions. But head coach DeMeco Ryans and his staff shouldn't be let off the hook, either.
Mike Vrabel and the Patriots outcoached Ryans and the Texans in Sunday's AFC Divisional Playoff matchup at Gillette Stadium, just by being ready to go on every play and avoiding unforced errors. Ryans faced scrutiny after the game specifically for his conservative late-game management, mainly deciding to punt twice in the fourth quarter after going down 28-16. After the first punt with 12:09 left in regulation, the Patriots ran the ball on eight of 10 plays and bled 6:21 off the clock before punting it back to the Texans.
Houston's second fourth-quarter punt came from its own 21-yard line, which is more understandable on the surface. But at that point, there was only 4:03 left in the game, and the Patriots simply continued to hand it off. By the time the Texans got the ball back, they had used up all three timeouts and had 1:45 left, needing two touchdowns.
Ryans explained to reporters after the game that he wanted to give his defense a chance to make a big play. He wasn't all that crazy to have that thought process, considering the Texans had forced four fumbles and made an interception against Drake Maye. But the implication was clear: he trusted his defense more than the offense, perhaps even to score touchdowns.
"At the end of the day, I make decisions there in the game for us to get the ball back, get the ball to our defense and see if we can make a play," Ryans said.
Ryans wasn't asked about his timeout management, but that alone really hurt the Texans down the stretch. It was clear why they had to burn their first two timeouts early in the third quarter and again early in the fourth quarter: the offense couldn't get the play in on time. They were still huddling with five seconds left on the play clock when Ryans was forced to use his first timeout. So, scrutiny is due to offensive coordinator Nick Caley. But when it comes to coaching, the buck stops with Ryans.
Left with only one timeout by the halfway point of the fourth quarter, Ryans basically had to stand there and watch Vrabel and Josh McDaniels run it down their throats for two straight possessions to ice the game. Rhamondre Stevenson forced them to use up their last timeout with 3:55 left in the game by wisely staying in bounds.
The Patriots are in the AFC Championship game for the first time since the 2018 season, and Vrabel is in it for the second time in his career as a head coach. And he deserves credit in his own right for a virtually mistake-free football game. The Texans, meanwhile, have to tighten up their in-game operations if they want to give themselves a chance to win more at this time of year.
