Texans' DeMeco Ryans Shows He Is Already Sick And Tired Of The Steelers Ahead Of Playoff Matchup

The Pittsburgh Steelers are set to host the Houston Texans in the first round of the playoffs, and the game will be the last matchup of Wild Card Weekend as it will come on Monday night. This is going to be a tough challenge for Pittsburgh as Houston is one of the hottest teams in the NFL and the Texans carry one of the most dominating defensive units the league has seen, especially when it comes to a pass rush. Protecting quarterback Aaron Rodgers is going to be one of the main keys to victory in this game, as is getting open in the passing game.

Houston has been one of the more under-appreciated stories in the NFL over the last several seasons. The organization hired DeMeco Ryans as the head coach during the 2023 offseason after going 3-13-1 in 2022. The Texans drafted CJ Stroud and Will Anderson at the start of the 2023 NFL Draft, and the team has not looked back. Houston won the AFC South and a playoff game in each of the last two seasons as mentioned, and the franchise is going to be looking to advance in the postseason once again by taking down Pittsburgh. Ryans was asked about the Steelers repeatedly during his press conference on Monday, and he clearly grew tired of the questions.

"Man, you guys are fired up about the Steelers, huh?" Ryans asked the media. "Man, can't wait, yeah."

The head coach was acting as if the media shouldn't have been asking him questions about his upcoming opponent, especially in the postseason. Maybe he was expecting more questions about Houston's Week 18 win over the Indianapolis Colts, but the media seemed to shift its focus directly to the playoffs. This is also what Ryans did as he pulled his starters in the middle of the Week 18 matchup, despite the fact that seeding in the AFC was still up in the air.

The Texans are currently favored going into this game, and that makes sense considering the franchise has not lost a game since the first week of November. Houston caught fire at the perfect time after beginning the season 0-2, and the group is looking to make it three straight seasons of winning a playoff game.

For Pittsburgh, it is quite the opposite. The Steelers started the season off hot and the group then hit some speed bumps throughout the rest of the way. The Steelers still found a way into the playoffs, but the organization has not advanced in the postseason in nearly a decade. The group is hosting a playoff game in front of fans for the first time since the 2017 season, as the 2020 season was affected by COVID, and this is the best opportunity the franchise has had to make some noise in the playoffs in years.

Steelers Do Not Have Great Recent History With The Houston Texans

Pittsburgh has only played a meaningful game against the current regime of the Texans once, and things did not go the Steelers' way in the slightest. The Steelers lost the game by a score of 30-6, which marks Pittsburgh's worst loss over the last three seasons. This was the second win for Ryans as a head coach and Stroud as a quarterback, and the then-rookie lit up Pittsburgh's defense. Houston's defense was not as good as it is now, but that side of the ball still had a great game against the Steelers and held Pittsburgh to just six points. It was one of the worst games coached by Mike Tomlin, and his group will be looking for some sort of revenge on Monday night.

The Steelers also hosted the Texans during the 2024 preseason, and Houston somehow managed to dominate that game as well. The Texans are hot and have been winning games handily, but Pittsburgh has the benefit of experience and playing on its home field.

What do you think about Ryans' comments? Let us know in the comments below!

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