The Houston Texans will play a difficult away game against the Cincinnati Bengals next Sunday. The NFL franchise will have to do without several top performers, but head coach DeMeco Ryans doesn’t want to use that as an excuse for a possible defeat.
As shown in Wednesday’s Injury Report, the Texans are currently suffering a total of 23(!) injuries. For example, eleven of them cannot train at all, while seven professionals at least take part in the units to a limited extent.
From wide receiver to offensive tackle to full back – Texans coach DeMeco Ryans is currently having to do without important supports at practically every position. However, he doesn’t see this as a problem.
“It doesn’t stop our process,” Ryans insisted on Wednesday via team protocol, downplaying the precarious personnel situation. “We go through the same process and things happen. That’s life.”
He also obviously doesn’t want to let such setbacks throw him off course. “Things don’t always go the way you want them to, so I just keep smiling and we’re going to have our best guys out there. Whoever’s available, we’re going to have our best guys out there playing Texans football,” assured the 39-year-old.
NFL: Houston Texans successful with stand-up mentality
Although he may be at risk of losing several key players against the Bengals, such as Will Anderson (knee), Dameon Pierce (ankle) or Laremy Tunsil (knee), DeMeco Ryans remains confident before the next NFL game.
Why not? This attitude ultimately helped the Texans achieve a 4-4 record, which hardly anyone believed they could achieve before the season. The recent game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (39:37) also made it clear why the team from the AFC South should not be written off at the moment.
The outstanding rookie quarterback CJ Stroud and his teammates turned the game around several times against Tampa Bay and ultimately left the field as the winner, not undeservedly. Stroud also set a rookie record with his 470 yards thrown.