The long, winding season for the Houston Texans has officially come to a close.
Really when you think about it, the Texans’ exhaustion was destined to kick in at some point. Houston started its season in mid-July are part of preparation for the Hall of Fame game.
It carried over into the 13 straight weeks of play before a bye. It continued after the bye with three games in 11 days against three former playoff rosters in the AFC that all finished with eight-plus wins.
Saturday’s 23-14 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Divisional Round marked the slide back down the hill. The climb was promising as another 11-win season arrived in Houston, but it still feels like the Texans have reached the peak.
They can’t get over the second-round playoff hill. And until they upgrade the roster at several spots, C.J. Stroud and Co. can get cozy living on Mount AFC Fourth Place in 2025.
It’s a standard head coach DeMeco Ryans isn’t looking to have set next fall when camp breaks for Year 3 of his regime.
“For me, it was a good year, but not good enough, in my mind,” Ryans said Monday. “For me, it is how do we take the organization to new heights. So I am looking at all areas to improve our football teams.”
For Ryans to make that a reality, there are ample questions to be answered. Here are the top five heading into the offseason.