DeMeco Ryans addresses high expectations for 2024 Texans

Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans did his best on Monday to downplay the undeniable hype hovering over the club coming off a playoff run that was followed by what's been an exciting offseason for the organization.

"We don't care about expectations," Ryans insisted while speaking with reporters, as shared by DJ Bien-Aime of ESPN. "Talk doesn't win games. We have to go out and play good football when the time comes."

In his first season in charge, Ryans guided the Texans to the AFC South division title and to an impressive 45-14 wild-card postseason victory over the Cleveland Browns. Houston quarterback C.J. Stroud and defensive end Will Anderson Jr. earned Rookie of the Year honors for the 2023 season, while Ryans finished second in Coach of the Year voting via tiebreaker behind only Cleveland's Kevin Stefanski. 

The Texans generated headlines over the first month of the new league year by adding big-name talents such as defensive end Danielle Hunter, linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair and running back Joe Mixon. Earlier this month, Houston acquired star wide receiver Stefon Diggs from the Buffalo Bills. 

"We're always hunting," Ryans added on Monday. "That doesn't change for us. Expectations on the outside, whatever that may be, it doesn't change who we are. The expectation from the outside doesn't permeate inside our building."

As of late Monday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the Texans seventh among the betting favorites at +1600 odds to win Super Bowl LIX in February 2025 and fifth at +850 odds to represent the AFC in the season's final game. 

At that same time, DraftKings had Stroud tied for third at +900 odds among the favorites to win the Most Valuable Player Award for the upcoming regular season. To compare, Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs entered Monday evening as the betting favorite for MVP at +600 odds.

"I'm very excited," Stroud said about what's to come for the Texans. "I think we have a lot of potential, have a ton of guys who have played a lot of meaningful ball. A lot of guys who can do different things with the ball. With all the expectation, the outside noise, the time now is to focus. Right now it's time to build the foundation and build the chemistry."