It's not at all uncommon for NFL head coaches to find time throughout the season to tout the importance of their respective fanbases, so it's not exactly breaking news that ahead of the Houston Texans' final contest of the regular season, head coach DeMeco Ryans decided to send out a timely message to Texans fans across the country.
What is noteworthy about Ryans' callout to Texans fans is that he didn't dance around the fact that Houston's disappointing start to the season could've pushed fans to turn on the team. Instead, like the Texans themselves, the 'diehard fans' who support the team remained resilient even in the face of adversity.
"To all the fans that have stuck with us, like, people talk about diehard fans. I know we have a lot of diehard fans here in H-Town that are that are proud to wear their Texans gear, no matter what the outcome is, no matter how damned it may look," Ryans said earlier this week, per Jared Koch of Sports Illustrated. "Like, we still have a ton of support, still have people showing up, showing that support, backing us on social media and all those good things, right? But, our fans are some of the best fans in the league."
Make no mistake, this Texans season did look pretty damned at various points throughout the year. Whether it be an 0-3 start that, statistically, is supposed to be a death sentence for any team, or a midseason mark of 3-5 that put the Texans multiple games back in the standings not only in the AFC South but in the Wild Card race, there were multiple times when fans in Houston could've checked out of this bleak season.
But if Texans fans had checked out, they would've missed a remarkable turnaround that saw the Texans win 8 games in a row, giving themselves a chance at a third straight division title on the final day of the regular season.
Of course, for the Texans to win a third straight AFC South title, it would require the Tennessee Titans upsetting the Jacksonville Jaguars, and that Houston extends their winning streak to 9 against the short-handed Indianapolis Colts.
The Texans are 10-point favorites against the Colts, and assuming Houston remains locked into the 5-seed, it's possible they'll be favorites on the road in the opening round of the Playoffs against either the Pittsburgh Steelers or Baltimore Ravens.
That's a testament not only to the dominance of the peaking-at-the-right-time Texans, but as DeMeco Ryans put it, the fanbase's willingness to travel, making sure that there is a sea of red in every single opposing stadium they play in.
"And it especially shows, to me, when we go on the road," Ryans continued. "It's easy when you're home, everybody's here, but to see the fans and the amount of support we have when we're on the road and traveling, like, that does our heart well. We step into the stadium, and we see a sea of red, and Texans jerseys, and our fans, they're being rowdy and supporting our guys."