Texans head coach Demeco Ryans was hired to be the sixth lead man in franchise history in January of 2023. Prior to his appointment, the Texans were an abysmal 11-38-1 combined from 2020-2022, finishing as a bottom-five team in the NFL in each campaign.
Since then, Houston has gone 29-19 with back-to-back AFC South divisional championships and consecutive AFC Wildcard playoffs wins by a combined 77-26 margin (vs. Browns in 2023, vs. Chargers in 2024).
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General manager Nick Caserio (hired in 2021) and Ryans have worked together to engineer one of the single greatest turnarounds in NFL history. They’ve helped to re-establish Houston as a legitimate AFC playoff threat and overhaul a corroded organizational culture/infrastructure that desperately needed it.
Speaking of history, the franchise is on the verge of creating more of it this weekend, as they prepare to face head coach Pete Carroll and the Las Vegas Raiders in their penultimate home game of the regular season.
For, if the Texans successfully defeat the Raiders this Sunday for their 10th win, they will have eclipsed double digit victories in three straight seasons for the first time in the franchise’s 24-year history.
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2011-2012 and 2018-2019 were the closest they had ever come to accomplishing the feat, but in each case, there was a massive bottoming out that occurred, resulting in two and four wins respectively in the following seasons (2013: 2-14, 2020: 4-12).
Unlike those scenarios, the 2025 Texans have managed to find a way to sustain their success and even elevate when the moment calls upon them the most.
Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins (12) celebrates after scoring a touchdown Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025, during a game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
Another caveat to this year’s campaign is the possibility that Houston could still end up winning the AFC South if the circumstances allowed them to do so. If that were to happen, that would also be the first time in franchise history that the team brings home three consecutive divisional banners (it would also tie the Indianapolis Colts at nine for the most division titles since the AFC South’s creation in 2002).
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As it stands, the Jacksonville Jaguars currently hold the top spot with a 10-3 record. Since the two teams split the season series, it would come down to a series of tiebreakers if both teams finished with the same record.
For that to occur, Jacksonville would have to lose one of its final games (most likely against the Denver Broncos), while Houston would need to win their final three games (Raiders, Chargers, Colts). After beginning the season 0-3, the Texans even being in the conversation to still nab a division lead and make the AFC playoffs at season’s end is an astounding reality by itself.
Ryans and co. have continuously spoken a message of “one game at a time” this year. This has helped to keep the team humble, hungry and continuously anchored in the truth that nothing about their immediate future is guaranteed.
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With that said, it’s still alright to take a step back and appreciate how far this group has come since former quarterback Deshaun Watson’s trade request in 2021 threw the future of the franchise into flux.
Right now, the Texans are only focused on winning the games that are right in front of them, starting with the Raiders this Sunday afternoon. The past is the past, while the present is here and now.
Win #10 is within reach, and much historical significance along with it.
What other historical precedents are you looking forward to the Texans changing next? Is Ryans on his way to becoming the greatest coach in team history?
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Let us know in the comment section below and on the official Texans Roundtable X account, @Texans_RTB!