Ryans admits Texans weren’t good enough in Lions loss vox888

vox888 DeMeco Ryans had a hard time accepting the Houston Texans’ loss to the Detroit Lions on a late field goal. vox888

Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans admitted his team’s inability to capitalize on a 23-7 first-half lead before falling to the Detroit Lions 23-26 was partly due to second-year quarterback C.J. Stroud’s poor start to the second half, NFL Network reports.

Stroud completed 19 of 33 passes for 232 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions, most notably an interception early in the third quarter on a throw to wide receiver Tank Dell. 

‘Giving up possession there is not good enough, especially in the red zone,’ Ryan said. ‘We talk about starting the second half, but coming out and giving up possession on the first play of the second half, that’s not winning football.’ 

‘We didn’t follow the plan to win the game. To win the game, players have to step up and follow the plan. And that didn’t happen.’ 

It was the second time this season that Stroud has thrown more than one interception in a game, the first coming in a Week 3 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. 

But Ryan also praised the improved offensive line defense, saying, “I thought our guys did a good job defending it. We got (Jarrett) Patterson at center and moved Juice (Scruggs) to guard. The communication was good. The guys defended well enough for us to make some plays, so I’m feeling good about that.” 

“I blame the game on me,” Stroud said. “I have to play better in those moments. When the defense turns over like they did, we have to be able to give them back with points.” 

In this game, rookie cornerback Kemari Lassiter had two interceptions and set a new franchise record for most interceptions in a single game. The other three picks were made by Jimmy Ward, Henry Tootoo and Kalen Bullock. ( vox888 )