Named the sixth head coach in club history on January 31, 2023, Ryans enjoyed a remarkable first season leading the Texans, finishing with an 11-8 overall record and guiding the franchise to their seventh AFC South title and their first playoff berth since 2019. Under Ryans, the Texans improved their win total by six wins in 2023, making him the seventh head coach since 2019 to improve their club’s record by at least six wins compared to the previous year. It also marks the fifth time the Texans have ever recorded 11-or-more wins in a season, and they are the second team in NFL history to have a winning record directly following three straight seasons of less than four wins.
Ryans’ success went hand-in-hand with rookie quarterback and PFWA NFL Rookie of the Year QB C.J. Stroud, as the Texans became the first team in NFL history to win their division with a rookie quarterback and a first-year head coach. Additionally, the duo joined the 1945 Los Angeles Rams, 2008 Baltimore Ravens and 2009 New York Jets as the only teams in NFL history to win a playoff game with a rookie head coach and rookie quarterback. Ryans and Stroud became the fifth first-year head coach and rookie quarterback pair to make the playoffs since the merger.
In addition to Stroud, rookie DE Will Anderson Jr. was named the PFWA 2023 Defensive Rookie of the Year, while the Texans earned two AFC Player of the Month awards, six AFC Player of the Week awards and two NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month awards under Ryans’ leadership. Houston finished the season ranked sixth in rushing defense (96.6 yards per game allowed) after finishing last in the NFL in rush defense in 2022, while also finishing seventh in the league in passing yards per game (245.5) and 11th in points allowed (20.8).
This marks the first PFWA Coach of the Year honor for Ryans, who was the PFWA’s Assistant Coach of the Year honoree in 2022. He is also the first Coach of the Year award recipient for the Texans’ franchise. Ryans is just the seventh coach to earn both the Coach of the Year and Assistant Coach of the Year awards from the PFWA during his career (Bruce Arians, Brian Daboll, Dom Capers, Jason Garrett, Marvin Lewis and Ron Rivera).
Leave a Reply