It was a tough divisional game at the Arrowhead on Saturday, January 18. HC DeMeco Ryans hoped that his team would fight tooth and nail to secure the win. They did fight, but things didn’t go as per their plan. The Chiefs‘ defensive brilliance helped them mount pressure on the Texans O-line and stop them from scoring. The final score read 23-14.

Nonetheless, Ryans appeared confident in the post-game conference. Everyone was stunned by his witty backhand comment as he said with a smirk, “We knew going into this game, man, it was us versus everybody. When I say everybody, it’s everybody, whatever, it’s naysayers and doubts.” Most people thought he was taking a dig at the NFL referees, as rival teams have often accused the Chiefs of receiving an advantage from the game officials.

But was that really the case? Both teams appeared to benefit from the mistaken calls, but perhaps one more than the other. That’s what DeMeco Ryans pointed to. During the game, Justin Reid pushed the Texans QB CJ Stroud, but referees didn’t call a roughing the passer penalty. But at the 1:41 mark in the 3rd quarter, the Chiefs QB received contact due to a late slide, and the refs called it a penalty. It angered Texans fans, like many before them.

However, the referees weren’t the ones responsible for allowing 8 sacks on their QB. Blaming the officials for the loss instead of taking accountability portrays a little too much self belief in their abilities. The Texans came into the playoffs with a 10-7 record. Though they brushed aside the Chargers 32-12 in the wild card game, it was never going to be the same against the 15-2 Chiefs.

They are the hottest team in the NFL with sights firmly set on a historical 3-peat. The Texans had already lost 19-27 against them in the regular season. But the HC was confident in his opinions.

DeMeco Ryans praises his team after divisional loss

While talking about other teams, the Texans head coach gave some answers that were hard to comprehend. Comparing his team with the Ravens and Chiefs who are regulars in the playoffs, he said, “I don’t feel like we’re that far away, like these teams are on a whole different tier than us. It’s a matter of us doing what we’re supposed to do & we’ll be just fine.”

We had to go back and confirm that DeMeco Ryans was indeed on the sidelines when the Ravens shut them down 31-2 in game 16 at the NRG Stadium. Last year too, the Ravens steamrolled them 45-10 in the divisional game. So, perhaps Ryans should have clarified more about the parameters in which the Texans are like the Chiefs and Ravens.

The Texans certainly defied expectations and did very well for themselves this year. However, they need to start taking accountability for the bad as they take praise for the good. Some introspection could help them take that next step and finally reach a championship round or even the Super Bowl!