Here is everything Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans said ahead of Week 3's matchup against the Indianapolis Colts, including his thoughts on the loss of Alec Pierce, slowing down the run game and more ways to get innovative with the offensive approach.
Question: On the Indianapolis Colts defense
DeMeco Ryans: "The Colts defense is a very aggressive defense. They're downhill; they mix it up, they're five-man fronts, four-man fronts and the defensive line is very active. [DeForest] Buckner and [Grover] Stewart, two big guys in the middle controlling that front. It's another big week for us up front. If we want to have a great game we have to make sure we're controlling the line of scrimmage. It's going to be a challenge. They have really good
players. We have to make sure we're ready to handle it, and we just have to finish up front."
On Indianapolis Colts RB Jonathan Taylor
Ryans: "Jonathan Taylor is one of the best backs in the NFL. From his standpoint of just being able to have the speed to beat you on the edge, but also his ability to cut back. Really good vision player, physical player, tough player. They rely on him a lot. We have to make sure we finish. It's not going to be one guy getting him down, it's going to take multiple guys tackling him. You can't think one guy will get him down, it's going to take everybody. That's a challenge that Jonathan always provides for us and we've got to make sure we swarm on defense."
Q: On improving the run game
Ryans: "The run game is very vital for us to just play good offense. You have to be able to move the football on the ground to set up any type of play-action pass, any type of passing game you want to have. You have to be able to run the ball and sustain the run. You have to stay with it, stay committed to it and we have to block it well up front. So the areas of improvement are really just us being on our details, hat placement in the proper place, finishing on our blocks and our backs, just getting them more opportunities to run the football and we'll do a good job of it."
On S M.J. Stewart returning to practice
"We were able to get M.J. back after the first two weeks with the new rule that opened up for the PUP window. He started his window today. He looks good getting back out there, we'll see how he continues to progress with the window of time that he has. He's done a great job in his rehab thus far and he looked nice today."
Q: On S M.J. Stewart
Ryans: "M.J. is a guy that brings some continuity to the defense. He's been here for a while. He brings some stability to our special teams as well. He's been a really important piece special teams-wise. Then playing safety, he's played a lot of football for us, started for us as safety. Another guy we can add to the mix when it comes to being versatile on defense. Being an elite special teams unit, M.J. provides that ability for us to do that."
Q: On the Indianapolis Colts offensive line
Ryans: "Their whole line, they do a really good job of working together. That's one thing you see. They work together, they play physical, not only [Indianapolis Colts G] Quenton [Nelson], all five guys, they play physical. I's going to take a lot of work for us up front, but our guys are up for the challenge. They're a really good team. They're a well-coached starting up front. That's why they have the capability to run the ball well because they do a really good job of run blocking. They get guys out. In the passing game, they get five guys out, so those guys are left one-on-one a lot. And they find a way to get it done. We have our hands full. We've got to go win some one-on-one matchups up front."
Q: On Indianapolis Colts TE Tyler Warren
Ryans: "We expect Tyler to be a focal point of the offense. With Alec Pierce being out, that's another guy that Coach [Shane] Steichen does a really good job of game-planning plays for Warren, getting him open. He's a very good player. He's tough, physical as a run blocker, but he also has the ability to run deep routes and finds a way to get open a lot. It's going to be a challenge for us to make sure we always have eyes on where #84 is at all times because we know he's a game-changer."
Q: On S Reed Blankenship
Ryans: "Reed's doing a good job of getting better. He's gotten better from Week 1 to Week 2. He took a step and improved. Looking for him to continue to improve."
Q: On if he is encouraged with how the team has attacked practice heading into Week 3
Ryans: "I'm very encouraged by the way we attacked today. It was really encouraging. It was great energy. Joyful intensity is what I preach, what we're about. That's what I saw today from our meetings out to the field. Our guys have really great energy. We're connected. We're in this thing together. It's about the Texans. As I told them, we're the only ones who can do something about where we are right now. We take that mindset to wherever we have to go, whatever we have to do. It's about us. It's about our coaches, our players, remaining connected, believing in each other, trusting in each other, and going and showing it, not just talking about it, going and showing it on Sunday."
Q: On the next man up mentality and how the offense is schemed for those players
Ryans: "Coach [Nick] Caley does a good job of being able to manipulate the system and scheme every week based on who's available. Trying to give different guys opportunities to get the ball in their hands so we can make plays and score points. It's flexible. I like our offense. It's always flexible. It's always adaptable. We can go any direction we need to go in to move the football up and down the field."
Q: On the usage of the tight ends
Ryans: "We would like to utilize more. We always have those packages up with multiple tight ends, whether it's 12 or 13 personnel. We always have those packages available. Coach Caley does a good job of mixing it up with the tight ends that we have, because we have a lot of guys who can do a lot of different things. That provides a lot of flexibility for him as a play caller and we'll try to get to as much of that as we can."
Q: On TE Dalton Schultz Week 2 performance
Ryans: "I always love seeing Dalton making plays. He's done that no matter who's been up or not been up. Dalton has always been that playmaker for us. Just seeing him continue to thrive in this offense, seeing his connection with C.J., it's been fun to watch. Every week Dalton finds a way to make a play. Very smart player, headsy player, understands zone concepts, understands how to find a soft spot in zone, also has the speed to beat man coverage as well. Dalton is always available. He's always open, and C.J. does a great job of finding him."
Q: On TE Dalton Schultz developing as a leader
Ryans: "Dalton has been a leader since he's been here. It's who he is just as a man. He cares a lot about this team. He cares a lot about winning. He's always pulling guys aside, talking to guys. If I have him come up and talk to the team, he's always available and ready to do that and I know the message is always it comes from the heart. He truly cares. You see it. I always say Dalton's one of our smartest players. Just hearing him, had the opportunity in Training Camp to see Dalton run an offensive meeting and just to see his level of knowledge within the offense, within the scheme, just coaching guys up, encouraging guys. That's my future coach right there. He does a really great job, and I'm proud of Dalton for all he's done since he's been here."
Q: On TE Brevin Jordan
Ryans: "Brevin's done a really nice job of working himself back. He's out practicing every day, sustaining, staying out there on the field. He's done a nice job of working himself back."
On starting the season with two losses and how the team might utilize past experience being in this position
"To start 0-2 is somewhere we don't want to be. Unfortunately, we've been here before, but to me, the past years of where we've been, it really doesn't have any impact on where we are now. It's about this team in 2026 and how our guys, this locker room, comes together. How we go out, execute, play good football. That'll be the deciding factor on if we get our first win or not and I know our guys are eager to get that win. They're putting in the work to get that win. Our coaches, players, everybody's working really hard. Our guys care. We just have to go out and play good on Sundays."
Q: On the receivers building going into Week 3
Ryans: "I expect our receivers to continue to grow, continue to build off of what we've done. They do a great job of practicing. It's just a matter of making those plays. When you get the opportunities in the game, it's just a matter of making those plays. We have guys who can go make plays. Just have to do it on Sunday."
Q: On what goes into the gameplan depending on the week
Ryans: "Everybody wants more tight ends on the field, right? I love it. All right, 12, 13 personnel, we'll put it out there and see what happens... I like to move the ball. I like to play good offensive football. I like to move the ball, whether it's throwing it, running it, whatever it takes. I just like to play good football. Whatever personnel matchup that is, sometimes it's dictated on how the game is flowing. Sometimes when you're in a hurry-up mode, tempo mode, you want to be in 11 personnel where you have more at your disposal, more plays. The game on Sunday kind of dictated that we were more 11 because we had to pass the ball a little bit more. You guys want tight ends? We're going to give you more tight ends [laughs]."
Q: On the balance of having an identity
Ryans: "I think offensively you have your core plays. You have a staple of who you want to be, but it's also who are you playing that week. Identity to me, for us as a team, it's about precision, effort, and physicality. What does that look like when it comes to plays? Well, who are you attacking? What's their strengths? What's their weaknesses? That needs to change weekly so you can put yourself in an advantageous position to make plays, create explosives, and win the football game."
Q: On QB C.J. Stroud
Ryans: "What I'm seeing from C.J. is, as I spoke about this a lot, from OTAs, Training Camp, seeing a guy who's just been confident in this offense for having his second year in this offense, as he should be confident. It's his second time going through it. He's doing a great job not only just being confident but also demanding from other players on offense. Being that leader that we need him to be. I've seen his growth in that area of really encouraging those guys around him and he'll continue to thrive in that area. C.J.'s done a good job."
Q: On the message to position group coaches after a disappointing performance
Ryans: "The great part about our coaching staff is all of our guys really, they care a lot. When our guys aren't successful, there's no one who hurts more than the position coaches, because they spend the most time with that group. They're pouring into those guys in individual periods, meeting after meeting after meeting. All of those guys, they truly care, and they want to see their guys be successful. If it doesn't go great, nobody's going to feel good about that, but we just go back to the drawing board. I go back to Sunday, Cincinnati, two really great defensive tackles and they made plays on us. That's going to happen in the league. You just go back to your process. You go back to, 'Hey, what are you trusting about the techniques and everything that we're doing,' players trusting the coaches and what we're saying, coaches trusting the players, then cut it loose and go play. That's what we're going to do this week. We're going to cut it loose. We're going to go play. We're going to have fun playing football. It's not great losing. It's not a great feeling in the building right now. But man, what an opportunity we have to go out again versus Indianapolis. That's how we're attacking this. It's an awesome opportunity. This is the next opponent. Indianapolis is in the same position we're in. They don't care about what happened last week. We don't care about what happened to them last week. It's Sunday. It's us versus the Colts looking for a great matchup, well-coached team. We're ready to go. I know they'll be ready to go."
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Everything Texans HC DeMeco Ryans said ahead of Week 3's matchup vs. Colts
