Is C.J. Stroud playing in Week 18’s finale against the Tennessee Titans?
What about Nico Collins, who’s only 32 yards away from reaching 1,000 yards?
Will Joe Mixon be on the sidelines resting, knowing he’s seven yards from being the first Texans running back since Carlos Hyde?
The answer is the same for each: yes. Houston does not plan on resting players for the regular-season finale at Nissan Stadium, regardless of playoff implications in the wild-card round.
“I mentioned to all our guys that everybody has to be ready to go,” Ryans said. “Everybody will be out there playing and then we’ll see how the game goes.”
DeMeco Ryans on managing reps for starters vs the Titans mentions “everybody has to be ready to go” & “we’ll see how the game goes”
Seems like most starters will get some reps to get a bad taste out of their mouths after BAL loss. What do you think we should do? pic.twitter.com/0Yd8GOCZr9
— Houston Stressans (@TexansCommenter) December 30, 2024
Sunday’s matchup won’t change much for Houston. They’ve already clinched the AFC South and can’t improve their playoff positioning. Following a 31-2 blowout loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Christmas, the Texans secured the No. 4 seed in the postseason and will host the top wild card seed come January 11 or 12.
But Ryans is about ending the season on a high note. With a win, Houston would secure its second double-dight victory campaign and back-to-back 10-win seasons since 2019.
After last week’s loss at home to the Ravens on Christmas, starters also need a chance to improve their persona.
“Our last outing on the field was not good enough. It was not representative of who we are,” Ryans said. “Defensively, offensively, just not a good representation of our team entirely. So we’ve got to go out and play better football.”
Just because starters take the field on Sunday afternoon doesn’t mean they’ll play four quarters. Houston’s an injury away from knocking itself out of the playoffs before the game even begins.
#Texans HC DeMeco Ryans said the starters will be out there on Sunday against the Titans.
Have to imagine they won’t be playing the entire game but good to try and get the bad taste out of their mouth from the Ravens game. pic.twitter.com/A90zONwDPa
— Nick Schwager (@NickSchwagerNFL) December 30, 2024
Ryans isn’t planning on running his players rampant before an elimination game, but morale must improve heading into the postseason. There must be a spark to bring back belief.
“For us right now, I think it’s a feel for where your team is at this point of the season,” Ryans said. “For me right now, our team needs to be playing better before we head into the postseason.”
Kickoff is scheduled for noon CT. The game will be locally televised on CBS.