The Texans are staring at the same ugly opening they know all too well, and DeMeco Ryans isn’t panicking.
Houston is 0-2 again to start the 2026 season, and for Ryans, that’s familiar territory. It happened in 2023, his first year as head coach, and again in 2025 when the Texans opened 0-3 before finally getting on track. Both times, they still found their way into the playoffs.
That history doesn’t change the math in front of them now, though. After Wednesday’s practice, Ryans made it clear he’s focused on what this team does next, not what those previous groups managed to pull off.
"To start 0-2 is somewhere we don't want to be, right?" Ryans said.
"Unfortunately, we've been here before. But to me, the past years of where we've been doesn't really have any impact on where we are now.
It's about this team, 2026, and how our guys, this locker room comes together. How we go out, execute, play good football, that'll be the deciding factor on if we'll get our first win or not."
He said the work is happening behind the scenes, and the belief inside the building hasn’t gone anywhere.
"I know our guys are eager to get that win. They're putting in the work to get that win.
Our coaches, players, everybody's working really hard. Our guys care, we've just got to go out and play well on Sunday."
The timing makes this week even bigger. Houston heads to Indianapolis for its first divisional game of the season and its first road trip against the Colts. Both teams enter with a chance to fall to 0-3, a place no one wants to be this early.
There were reasons for optimism in last week’s loss to the Bengals. The Texans’ defense was far better than it was in Week 1, holding Joe Burrow and Cincinnati’s passing game to just over 200 yards and 20 points. The problem was on the other side of the ball, where Houston managed only six points.
That offense will have to clean things up fast, especially with injury questions hanging over the roster. Six players did not take part in Wednesday’s practice, and Nico Collins was among them with a hamstring issue. It was his third straight missed practice, and if he’s out again, the Texans’ receiver group would be short-handed for a second straight game.
Even if Houston drops this one and slips to 0-3, Ryans and the Texans have already shown they can dig out of that kind of hole. A year ago, they were 0-3 before ripping off nine straight wins to finish the regular season and claim the fifth seed in the playoffs.
Now they’re trying to avoid needing that kind of rescue act again. The path is simple: beat the Colts, stop the slide, and keep the season from getting any deeper into trouble.
In Other News...
Texans Coaching Problem Is Suddenly A Bigger C.J. Stroud Concern
The Texans offensive slump has pushed a familiar question back to the front of the conversation: how much of C.J. Strouds uneven support comes from the people around him? The article frames Houstons problems less as a shortage of talent and more as a coaching issue, with offensive coordinator Mike Caley drawing the sharpest scrutiny as the Texans try to get Stroud back into a rhythm.
Jerry Schuplinskis presence on the staff adds another layer to that discussion, since he brings Super Bowl experience and a working knowledge of the offensive scheme. For Houston, the bigger concern is what all of this means for Strouds long-term outlook, including the way coaching quality could shape the next step in his career and even factor into decisions around his future contract. [Read more 🡒]
Titans Rookie Receiver Is Quickly Becoming Hard To Ignore
The Texans are still trying to find the right balance on offense, and DeMeco Ryans offered a glimpse of where one young player is making his case. Jaylin Noel has drawn praise for the progress he has shown in the return game, a useful development for a team always looking for hidden yardage and cleaner field position as the season moves along.
Noels growth comes with the familiar caveat that Houston wants more from its offense overall, and that broader push remains part of the conversation around the roster. For a team that keeps leaning on development from younger players, the next step for Noel will be turning that all-around improvement into something the Texans can rely on beyond special teams. [Read more 🡒]
Texans Offense Has An Early Problem Fans Thought Was Fixed
Two games into Nick Caleys tenure as offensive coordinator, the Texans have already run into a familiar type of problem in the part of the field where physical football usually decides whether drives keep going or stall out. Short-yardage situations were supposed to be one of the areas that looked cleaner after offseason changes, but Houstons rushing game has not delivered much help there, leaving the offense leaning harder on the passing side than it likely planned.
C.J. Stroud has actually been the more effective option in those moments, averaging more than six yards per passing play in short-yardage spots. The contrast is striking because it puts the burden back on an offense that was expected to be more balanced and more dependable when the yardage gets tight, and it leaves the Texans with a problem they will have to keep working through if they want those drives to finish the way they should. [Read more 🡒]