One first-place vote stood between the Houston Texans’ DeMeco Ryans and The Associated Press NFL Coach of the Year Award for the 2023 season.

In balloting among 50 members of the AP media panel, the former Alabama All-American and the Cleveland Browns’ Kevin Stefanski finished with 165 points, with first-place votes worth five points, second-place three points and third-place one point.

Stefanski received 21 first-place votes, 18 second-place votes and six third-place votes. Ryans received 20 first-place votes, 21 second-place votes and two third-place votes.

Stefanski won the tiebreaker by having the most first-place votes.

The other first-place votes went to the Detroit Lions’ Dan Campbell and the San Francisco 49ers’ Kyle Shanahan, with three apiece, the Baltimore Ravens’ John Harbaugh with two and the Los Angeles Rams’ Sean McVay with one.

In his first season as a head coach, Ryans led Houston to a seven-victory improvement, the AFC South title and a first-round playoff victory.

Last week, Ryans won the Pro Football Writers of America’s NFL Coach of the Year Award for the 2023 season.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.