The Houston Texans’ disastrous 0-4 start has reached the point where even video games are being invoked as potential coaching aids. After Houston blew a late advantage in Sunday’s 34-30 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, ESPN Texans reporter DJ Bien-Aime offered a brutal assessment of head coach DeMeco Ryans’ clock management. Bien-Aime joked that the coach should spend the offseason playing Madden and NCAA Football.

“Regarding end of game time management DeMeco Ryans might need to consider playing madden and ncaa in the offseason,” Bien-Aime posted. “I’m so serious.”

The criticism comes after Houston surrendered a game-winning 74-yard touchdown drive with only 40 seconds remaining. CJ Stroud threw for 347 yards, while Nico Collins caught two touchdown passes. Stil, Houston’s inability to manage the closing stages overshadowed the offensive production. The loss followed an earlier walk-off field goal defeat against Indianapolis. This has made late-game execution an increasingly glaring problem.

Article Continues Below

Ryans has built a reputation as one of the NFL’s premier defensive coaches since becoming Houston’s head coach in 2023. After rising through the San Francisco 49ers’ coaching ranks and becoming their defensive coordinator, he guided San Francisco to the league’s top defense in 2022. Houston then paired Ryans with Stroud. They won the AFC South in his first season, and he earned PFWA Coach of the Year honors.

The Texans subsequently reached the playoffs in each of Ryans’ first three seasons. They have established a standard that makes the current collapse particularly jarring. At 0-4, however, Houston cannot afford continued situational mistakes.

Ryans’ defensive expertise remains unquestioned. However, his clock management is now under the microscope. The Texans need answers quickly, or the jokes may become much harder to laugh off.