“I Don’t Think He Was Pushing Frank In A Disrespectful Manner” | Texans Head Coach DeMeco Ryans Has Bigger Problems Than Protecting Kris Boyd

The Houston Texans are still reeling from their (23-14) AFC Divisional Playoff loss to the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. In what was the second chippy matchup between the two in five weeks, and a ton of pointing the finger at the refs, there’s another story from that game that has legs. It involves Texans wideout Kris Boyd and special teams coordinator Frank Ross.

Following the Texans allowing Chiefs kick returner Nikko Remigio to return the football 65 yards setting the Chiefs up deep in Texans territory, the aforementioned Boyd ripped his helmet off after making the tackle. That led to a 15-yard penalty as well, but what happened next is what has everyone talking. As Boyd approached the sideline he was yelling at Ross and even shoved him so hard he went flying. Outside of hearing the Texans complain about the officiating, this shove dominated the headlines after the game. 

DeMeco Ryans Puts A Band-Aid On It

In an attempt to clean up things, the second-year coach, who’s led the Texans to back-to-back AFC South division titles, made sure to give his opinion of what happened during his end of the season presser.

“I don’t think he was pushing Frank in a disrespectful manner,” Ryans said. “I think it was more so he was fired up — overly fired up — and thought he made a play to help us. So that narrative that he’s pushing a coach, that’s incorrect.”

Boyd’s explanation the day before didn’t really coincide with what Ryans was saying. 

“That’s not in my character. I love everybody here. I love my coaches. I never disrespect anybody,” Boyd said. “I love Frank, I’m a God-fearing man, I respect everybody. … It was a little 10-second thing that happened. It’s football. I never disrespect anybody. That’s not my character.”

In the heat of the moment Boyd let his emotions get the best of him, and it caused him to do something that’s not in his temperament. And while his version of what happened is different than Ryan’s, it’s also Ryans job to clean up the residue and put a bow on it. 

Where Do The Texans Go From Here? How ’Bout Keep Stroud Upright

After finishing 10-7 and winning their division and a wild card game for the second consecutive season, the Texans have to figure out a way to get beyond the divisional round. For starters, they’ll need to address their leaky and sieve of an offensive line. Second-year quarterback C.J. Stroud, who won Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2023, hit a bit of a sophomore slump in 2024, and a huge reason why was the lack of protection.

Stroud was sacked 54 times this past season, which ranked third in the NFL (tied with Seattle), and things didn’t get much better for him in two playoff games where he was sacked 11 more times in two games, including eight versus the Chiefs. That’s where they must start, because if they’re not gonna protect their franchise signal caller they’re not going anywhere further. 

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