Source: Texans fire Smith hours after season ends

Lovie Smith is out as the Houston Texans‘ coach, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter, hours after the team finished 3-13-1 in Smith’s first season.

The Texans have now fired back-to-back coaches, one year after ousting David Culley last January. Smith was the defensive coordinator and associate head coach on Culley’s staff in 2021 and was elevated to head coach on Feb. 7.

Culley and Smith were the only Black coaches in the franchise’s history, and now Todd Bowles (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), Mike Tomlin (Pittsburgh Steelers), Mike McDaniel (Miami Dolphins), Robert Saleh (New York Jets) and Ron Rivera (Washington Commanders) remain as the only head coaches of color.

The Texans’ season opened with a 20-20 tie against the Indianapolis Colts in overtime after they blew a 17-point lead in the fourth quarter, where Smith played for the tie in overtime to avoid a loss.

The Texans were competitive in games in the first half of the season, but fourth-quarter struggles continued to be a theme. The Texans failed to score a point in four out of the first six games in the fourth quarter.

And despite Smith coming over from the defensive side of the ball, the Texans ranked last in rush yards allowed after being second-to-last in 2021.