The Houston Texans are absolutely reeling, dropping their fourth game in a row to kick off the season. This past Sunday, it was a brutal 34-30 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, and for head coach DeMeco Ryans, the feeling is apparently all too familiar.
Deja Vu All Over Again: Ryans’ Haunting “Shock” Quote
After that fourth straight loss, Ryans was quoted saying, “I’m in shock. I still can’t believe what happened. It’s unbelievable.” Sound familiar? It should, because those exact words came out of his mouth 18 years ago, back on October 5, 2008. That was after the Indianapolis Colts roared back from a 17-point deficit in the final five minutes to beat Ryans’ team 31-27, pushing them to an 0-4 start. That 2008 loss was the first time Ryans had ever lost four consecutive games in his NFL career. Now, this Sunday’s defeat to the Cowboys marks the latest time it’s happened. On Monday, Ryans tried to regroup, stating, “From the standpoint of shock, it’s where we are. As I told the guys yesterday, we haven’t done the things necessary to earn a win. When you do those things, you play team football, you play together, that’s when you’ll win.” It sounds like a coach trying to rally his troops, but man, the echo of that 2008 quote is kinda chilling.
History Says The Odds Are Stacked Against an 0-4 Team
Look, we all love a good comeback story, but history is not on the Texans’ side here. Ryans has played on or coached seven teams that went on a losing streak of at least four games, and get this: only one of those teams made the playoffs. That was the 2021 San Francisco 49ers. They hit a four-game skid from Week 3 to Week 7, falling to 2-4 with a bye week mixed in. But then they flipped the script, winning eight of their next 11 games to snag a wild-card spot. They even won two playoff games before losing in the NFC Championship Game. That’s a huge outlier, though. Since the playoff format expanded to seven teams in each conference in 2020, only about 12% of playoff teams had experienced a four-game losing streak. And for teams starting 0-4? The odds are even longer. Only one team, the 1992 San Diego Chargers, has ever made the playoffs after dropping their first four games. Yeah, you read that right. *One team*.
Will Anderson Jr. Has Never Felt This Pain, But He’s Ready For the Fight
Despite the rough start, there are still some bright spots, like Will Anderson Jr. The dude has been living up to his preseason hype as a Defensive Player of the Year favorite. But this 0-4 start? It’s new territory for him. Anderson said he has never lost four games in a row to start a season. Not in his three years as a pro with the Texans, not during his three years at Alabama, not even in high school or youth football. That’s wild. Anderson sees this as a crucible moment, saying, “It’s easy to give up. When you’ve built yourself a type of way, when you’re around people who are built just like you, you overcome that adversity because you’re around the sa…” Ryans, for his part, isn’t focused on the past. He’s looking ahead, saying, “I’m not concerned about it right now. I’m concerned about finding a way to play better, coach better and go beat the Tennessee Titans.” That’s the mindset they need, but man, what a hole to dig out of. Can they even think about the playoffs right now, or is it just about getting *one* win? We’ll see if they can start that climb next week against the Titans.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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