The Houston Texans fired their head coach Lovie Smith after finishing the final game of the 2022 NFL regular season on Sunday night, the team announced.

"We are grateful for [Smith's] leadership and character, and we wish him the best moving forward," the Texans' chairman and CEO Cal McNair said in a statement. "While we understand the results have not been what we had hoped for, we are committed to building a program that produces long-term, sustainable success. Our fans and city deserve a team that they can be proud of."

Smith took over the position from David Culley in February 2022. One thing the two share in common is the poor performance of the team under them. The Texans were 4-13 with Culley and 3-13-1 with Smith, missing the playoffs for the third straight season since the 2019 campaign.

Smith was the Texans' defensive coordinator in 2021, but the team remained disappointing on the front in the past two seasons, ranking bottom in rushing yards allowed, 30th in yards allowed in total and 27th in points allowed per game during the 2022 campaign. They were no better on offense averaging 16 points, the second-fewest among 32 teams.

The Texans managed to edge the Indianapolis Colts 32-31 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, on Sunday. Quarterback Davis Mills first connected with tight end Jordan Akins for a 28-yard receiving touchdown and then found Akins again for the game-winning two-point conversion at 0:50 in the fourth quarter.

This victory cost the Texans the first-overall pick in the NFL Draft in late April. That pick will go the Chicago Bears which lost 14 of their 17 games this season. "We understand the totality of the season on what's going on. Do I expect to be back? Yes, I expect to be back," Smith said after the game.

Well, the Texans disagreed and decided to replace Smith with "the right leader for our football team."

"I'm constantly evaluating our football operation and believe this is the best decision for us at this time," the team's general manager Nick Caserio said in a statement. "It is my responsibility to build a comprehensive and competitive program that can sustain success over a long period of time. We aren't there right now, however, with the support of the McNair family and the resources available to us, I'm confident in the direction of our football program moving forward."