DeMeco Ryans makes franchise history with Texans' third 10-win season

HOUSTON (AP) — Houston’s DeMeco Ryans became the first coach in franchise history to win at least 10 games in three consecutive seasons with the Texans' 23-21 win over the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday.

“Getting 10, that’s OK, but that’s not the goal,” Ryans said. “The goal is to get into the playoffs and make a run at winning it all. If our guys keep our eyes forward, we keep believing, we keep playing, finishing the right way, we have everything we want in front of us.”

Ryans is also the 13th coach in NFL history and sixth since 2000 to reach at least 10 wins in each of his first three seasons as a head coach.

Sunday’s victory extended Houston’s winning streak to seven games, which is tied for the second-longest winning streak in franchise history behind a nine-game streak in 2018. It’s the longest active streak in the NFL and has allowed the Texans (10-5) to put their 0-3 start behind them and be in position for a playoff spot with two regular-season games to go.

They still have a chance to win the AFC South for a third consecutive season but would need to win out and have the Jaguars (11-4) lose at least one of their remaining games.

“To get 10 wins in the three years that I’ve been here is super cool,” quarterback C.J. Stroud said. “It’s something that’s dope, but right now our focus is getting to the playoffs and going from there.”

Though the Texans were happy to outlast the Raiders (2-13) Sunday, they were a bit disappointed that they didn’t play their best football. Houston’s top-ranked defense was particularly unhappy about a 60-yard touchdown reception and a 51-yard scoring run it allowed in the second half by rookie Ashton Jeanty that allowed the Raiders to stay in it.

“We got the outcome we wanted, but it’s so much more for us to be better at, it’s so much for us to clean up,” defensive end Will Anderson Jr. said.

Their problems Sunday weren’t limited to defense. Houston didn’t score an offensive touchdown until Stroud connected with Dalton Schultz on a 1-yard score with about seven minutes to go.

“We started off bad in the first quarter and then from there kind of rolled,” Stroud said. “But it starts with me. I was missing some throws here and there. But I think all these things can be fixed. Got to keep rolling and keep continuing to get better.”

Though the Texans were disappointed in their defensive performance they remain the top-ranked defense in the NFL. Houston ranks first in yards (272.3) and points (16.6) allowed per game and its 25 takeaways are third most in the league.

Houston managed just 83 yards rushing Sunday while playing without starter Woody Marks, who was out with an ankle injury. The Texans have had a tough time running the ball this season with Joe Mixon out all season and they rank 23rd in the NFL by averaging 106.7 yards rushing a game.

Ryans said the problems in the run game kept the offense off-balance Sunday.

“The main thing is we couldn’t run the football,” he said. “We didn’t control the line of scrimmage how we needed to control the line of scrimmage. They got a … lot of tackles for loss, knocked us back a few times and we didn’t run the ball well.”

WR Christian Kirk had three receptions for 37 yards Sunday after having just one catch for 6 yards in the previous three games.

DB Myles Bryant had a chance to tackle Jeanty at about the 15-yard line on his TD reception but was unable to bring him down.

LB Jake Hansen injured his chest in the first quarter and did not return. … T Aireontae Ersery injured his hand in the fourth quarter. … LB Azeez Al-Shaair missed his first game of the season Sunday with an ankle injury.

1,000 – Ka’imi Fairbairn made three field goals Sunday to give him 1,005 points in his career, making him the first player in franchise history to score 1,000 points. Two of his field goals against the Raiders were for 50 yards or more, making him the sixth active player to make at least 50 field goals of 50 yards or more in his career.

“He’s done an outstanding job and I’m happy he’s on our side being able to get us the points whenever we can,” Ryans said.

The Texans need to continue their winning streak to keep their division championship hopes alive when they visit the Chargers on Saturday. The Chargers (11-4) have won four consecutive games and will be the first team Houston has faced in four games with a winning record.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) passes against the Las Vegas Raiders during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)

Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans watches from the sideline during the first half of an NFL football game against the Las Vegas Raiders, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)

Houston Texans defensive end Will Anderson Jr. celebrates after sacking Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is expected to announce plans Monday to build a new, large warship that President Donald Trump is calling a “battleship” as part of a larger vision to create a "Golden Fleet," according to people familiar with the plans.

Retired Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery, who is now a senior director at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and familiar with the discussions, said the announcement will include a new, large “surface combatant class” of ship and as many as 50 support ships.

The announcement will come just a month after the Navy scrapped its plans to build a new, small warship, citing growing delays and cost overruns, deciding instead to go with a modified version of a Coast Guard cutter that was being produced until recently.

Trump is to be joined by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Navy Secretary John Phelan for what is being billed by the White House as a “major announcement.”

Trump plans to discuss a shipbuilding initiative, according to a White House official who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

It’s being unveiled at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort while he vacations in Florida and as U.S. forces take part in operations in the Caribbean that Trump says are aimed at stemming the flow of illegal drugs into the U.S. and beyond and mounting pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s government.

Montgomery said that while he supports the idea to build more support ships, he was critical of the plan to build a new battleship-like warship.

Historically, the term battleship has referred to a very specific type of ship — a large, heavily armored vessel armed with massive guns designed to bombard other ships or targets ashore. This type of ship was at the height of prominence during World War II, and the largest of the U.S. battleships, the Iowa-class, were roughly 60,000 tons.

After World War II, the battleship's role in modern fleets diminished rapidly in favor of aircraft carriers and long-range missiles. The U.S. Navy did modernize four Iowa-class battleships in the 1980s by adding cruise missiles and anti-ship missiles, along with modern radars, but by the 1990s all four were decommissioned.

Trump has long held strong opinions on specific aspects of the Navy’s fleet, sometimes with a view toward keeping older technology instead of modernizing.

During his first term, he unsuccessfully called for the return to steam-powered catapults to launch jets from the Navy’s newest aircraft carriers instead of the more modern electromagnetic system.

He has also complained to Phelan about the look of the Navy’s destroyers and decried Navy ships being covered in rust.

Phelan told senators at his confirmation hearing that Trump "has texted me numerous times very late at night, sometimes after one (o’clock) in the morning” about “rusty ships or ships in a yard, asking me what am I doing about it.”

On a visit to a shipyard that was working on the now-canceled Constellation-class frigate in 2020, Trump said he personally changed the design of the ship.

“I looked at it, I said, ‘That’s a terrible-looking ship, let’s make it beautiful,’” Trump said at the time.

President Donald Trump departs his Mar-a-Lago club, Monday, Dec. 22, 2025, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)