The Houston Texans had their shot under the bright lights of Monday Night Football, but things didn’t go their way in the Emerald City. A 27-19 loss to the Seattle Seahawks now drops them to 2-4. But what really stole the spotlight wasn’t the final score. After the game, the Texans’ head coach, DeMeco Ryans, revealed something surprising: one of his own players went against his orders.

As per NFL reporter Cody Stoots, “DeMeco Ryans said Ka’imi Fairbairn was instructed to kick the ball out of bounds and he didn’t do that.” That single decision, small as it seemed, clearly didn’t sit well with Ryans.

Then Ryans opened up further about the plan. “The plan at the end of the game was kicking the ball out of bounds. So we can utilize the two minutes, and I had a timeout. And we did not execute that again, just goes to the entire game.” So, let’s look at the play.

C.J. Stroud connected with Woody Marks on a 4-yard touchdown with just over two minutes left. That should have been the moment they flipped the script. But once again, the little things came back to bite. The Texans failed to get the ensuing kickoff out of bounds, costing them the all-important stoppage at the two-minute warning.

After that, Seattle slammed the door. The Seahawks ran out the clock with ease, helped by a costly personal foul from defensive tackle Tim Settle Jr. That flag sealed it. And for Ryans, it became another painful example of missed execution. “So frustrating that we’re not executing the things that we’re supposed to do.”

DeMeco Ryans’ Texans couldn’t keep up with the Seattle

The Seattle Seahawks smothered the Texans’ offense from the start. Poor execution and missed chances haunted the Texans again. They somehow clawed within 14-6 by halftime. Then a wild play, a Sam Darnold fumble in the end zone scooped up by Will Anderson Jr., cut it to 17-12. But every time Houston closed the gap, Seattle pushed back harder. Even after going up 27-12, the Seahawks coughed up the ball twice more, yet the Texans just couldn’t capitalize.

Meanwhile, the story of this game was all about Seattle’s defense. Despite missing Julian Love, Devon Witherspoon, and Derick Hall, they locked down Ryans’ team to just 254 total yards and 3.7 per play. C.J. Stroud never looked comfortable. Then came the ground game, or rather, the lack of it.

Houston’s run attack disappeared completely. Woody Marks and Nick Chubb combined for only 31 yards on 15 carries. Seattle’s front line owned the trenches, with DeMarcus Lawrence, Ernest Jones IV, and Jarran Reed stuffing crucial fourth downs.

CJ Stroud struggled under difficult circumstances, completing less than 50% of his nearly 50 pass attempts and throwing an early second-half interception that all but sealed Houston’s uphill battle. The Texans’ offense faced relentless pressure from Seattle’s pass rush, never got the running game going, and saw top target Nico Collins exit in the second half with a head injury.

So, it was a statement win for the Seahawks. The 12s inside Lumen Field roared, and the Emerald City’s defense reminded everyone that when they’re locked in, they can shut anyone down.