Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans took to the podium with good things to say about their starting offensive line following their preseason-opening loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday night.
Things took a turn after that, though, with Ryans delivering a strong reality check about the contest, as well as an ominous injury update.
The Texans saw a trio of players exit early, but Ryans had unfortunate news on one in particular.
DeMeco Ryans Gets Honest About Texans’ Loss to Chargers
The Texans missed several tackles during the game, with the commentators–which included former Houston defensive lineman N.D. Kalu–making note of the uncharacteristic sloppiness, even for the Texans backups.
Ryans certainly noticed the Texans did not have their standard “style of play.”
“Overall, it was some positive things there early on,” Ryans told reporters postgame. “Just collectively, that’s not our style of play. And so, a lot for us to improve on.”
Ryans later said, “I really want to go back and really dive into the film, to really get a great evaluation of all the guys here. But I like we had a lot of different guys playing tonight. So, we rolled a lot of guys in. A lot of guys got valuable playing time. So for me, I have to really go and watch it to see who I can single out from them, doing a really good job.
“Overall, again, it was it was some positive things. But anytime you–I tell our guys, anytime you suit up and you’re competing, you want to win the football game. No matter who’s out there, you want to compete to win. So, it didn’t go our way, but it’s still a lot for us to learn and grow from.”
The defeat was bad enough, but Ryans also provided a dour injury update.
DeMeco Ryans Suspects Severe Injury to Young QB
“For the update on Mertz, he was running there towards the opponent’s sideline,” Ryans said. “And, unfortunately, non-contact. And I think he’ll be–we’re evaluating him right now. It’s looking at a knee injury, ACL. So, we’ll see, get that update to see what happens.”
Mertz is one of three Texans QBs. They are down to C.J. Stroud, who did not play in the contest, and backup Davis Mills, who started against the Chargers and replaced Mertz.
The Texans are likely to at least explore QB options this week.
If Mertz’s injury is confirmed as an ACL tear, it will be a season-ender. That would all but guarantee Ryans and the Texans searching the market for a replacement, even if only for the rest of the preseason.
DeMeco Ryans Delivers Ominous News After Calling Texans Out