It's hard to believe it but the final week of the regular season is here. For the second year in a row, the Houston Texans won the AFC South and they're set as the No. 4 seed in the playoffs.
With a record of 9-7, they can secure their 10th win of the year. That would be significant since it would be the second time in as many years they went 10-7. For head coach DeMeco Ryans, that's a huge feather in his cap.
However, Ryans knows the playoffs are where a coach truly becomes great. That's why his focus isn't completely on the Week 18 showdown with the Tennessee Titans. Sure, that game's important but he's also got one eye on the playoffs.
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That's why it's fair to ask if he plans on sitting quarterback C.J. Stroud.
Will C.J. Stroud play in Week 18?
It sounds as if Ryans expects not only Stroud to play, but the rest of the starters as well. This decision is all about the playoffs with Ryans saying the team wasn't good enough in their Week 17 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
“For us right now, we’ve got to go play better,” Ryans said via Cole Thompson of Texans Wire. “Our last outing on the field was not good enough. It was not representative of who we are. Defensively, offensively, just not a good representation of our team entirely. So we’ve got to go out and play better football.”
Houston didn't score a point on offense in that game, losing 31-2. Their defense also had no answers for Lamar Jackson or Derrick Henry as the Ravens went for 251 yards on the ground.
Baltimore knocked the Texans out of the playoffs last season and they could be set to face one another again soon. Getting Stroud back to the form he showed as a rookie will be key to finally defeating their nemesis.