As the defensive coordinator of the San Francisco 49ers, DeMeco Ryans won The Associated Press NFL Assistant Coach of the Year Award for the 2022 season. Could he win the NFL Coach of the Year Award with the Houston Texans for the 2023 season?

Ryans has guided Houston to a 6-4 record, double its victory total of last season. The 3-13-1 showing in 2022 earned the Texans the second selection in the 2023 NFL Draft, and Houston added another key element in its turnaround by choosing Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud.

“For me, getting mentioned for Coach of the Year, CJ getting the MVP mentions, it doesn’t matter to us, honestly,” Ryans said on Monday. “I really don’t care. That’s not what I seek out to be or that’s not what C.J. as a player, we don’t seek out the personal accolades. That’s not what we work for. We work together as a team to put ourselves in good position to play meaningful football, and that’s where we are.”

On Sunday, the Texans take on the Jacksonville Jaguars. At 7-3, the Jaguars are one game ahead of Houston at the top of the AFC South standings. The Texans topped Jacksonville 37-17 on Sept. 24 after they had lost their first two games under Ryans.

Ryans was a prep standout at Jess Lanier in Bessemer and an All-American at Alabama before becoming a Pro Bowl linebacker with the Texans and Philadelphia Eagles.

RELATED: DEMECO RYANS WISHES HE HAD PLAYED FOR NICK SABAN AT ALABAMA

“He has that dog mentality,” Houston linebacker Christian Harris said about Ryans on Monday, “so, I think for one, everybody for sure wants to play for him. It makes you want to listen to him even more and respect everything that he’s saying, so we just go out there each and every day and try to attack the things that he wants us to, and it ends up working out for us. He’s somebody that’s played in this league and is well-respected. He’s a great leader for us.”

Reflecting the head coach, Houston has eight players on its 53-man active roster from Alabama high schools and colleges, including Harris, who, like Ryans, is an Alabama alumnus.

The other Texans with Alabama football roots include:

· Will Anderson Jr., defensive end, Alabama

· Nico Collins, wide receiver, Clay-Chalkville

· Tank Dell, wide receiver, Alabama A&M

· Tytus Howard, offensive tackle, Monroe County, Alabama State

· John Metchie III, wide receiver, Alabama

· Henry To’oTo’o, linebacker, Alabama

· Jimmie Ward, safety, Davidson

In Houston’s 21-16 victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, Harris made five tackles, recorded one tackle for loss and broke up two passes as he played all 61 defensive snaps.

On the first play after the second-half two-minute warning with the Cardinals at the Houston 29-yard line, Harris took down Arizona running back James Conner for a 5-yard loss on a reception. Two snaps later, Harris deflected a pass while rushing Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray for an incompletion.

After one more snap, Houston was kneeling out a victory.

“I was excited for Christian,” Ryans said. “He made some big-time plays there, batting the ball down on a couple of plays with him blitzing. Big-time stops for us. I’m excited for Christian and his growth and what he’s doing. Christian’s a really good player, and he has a lot to improve on, a lot to grow. But he’s dialed in and he’s dedicated to growing, so a really coachable guy. I really love his spirit, love the way he fights, loves the way he gets after it on Sundays, so just excited for Christian and what he can continue to become as a player.”

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The Alabama Game of the Week is the Jaguars-Texans contest on Sunday. Fifteen players from Alabama high schools and colleges are on the teams’ active rosters.

The complete Week 12 schedule (with all times Central and point spreads from Catena):

Thursday

· Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions (-7.5), 11:30 a.m. (FOX)

· Washington Commanders at Dallas Cowboys (-11), 3:30 p.m. (CBS)

· San Francisco 49ers (-7) at Seattle Seahawks, 7:20 p.m. (NBC)

Friday

· Miami Dolphins (-10) at New York Jets, 2 p.m. (Prime Video)

Sunday

· New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons (pick’em), noon (WBRC, WALA, WCOV, WDFX)

· Pittsburgh Steelers (-1) at Cincinnati Bengals, noon

· Jacksonville Jaguars (-1.5) at Houston Texans, noon (WIAT, WHNT, WKRG, WAKA, WTVY)

· Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Indianapolis Colts (-2.5), noon

· New England Patriots (-3) at New York Giants, noon

· Carolina Panthers at Tennessee Titans (-3.5), noon (WZDX)

· Los Angeles Rams (-1) at Arizona Cardinals, 3:05 p.m.

· Cleveland Browns at Denver Broncos (-2.5), 3:05 p.m.

· Kansas City Chiefs (-9.5) at Las Vegas Raiders, 3:25 p.m.

· Buffalo Bills at Philadelphia Eagles (-3), 3:25 p.m. (WIAT, WHNT, WKRG, WAKA, WTVY)

· Baltimore Ravens (-3.5) at Los Angeles Chargers, 7:20 p.m. (NBC)

Monday

· Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings (-3.5), 7:15 p.m. (ABC, ESPN)

CHECK OUT MAPS OF SUNDAY’S BROADCAST TV COVERAGE

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