The Houston Texans are leaving Week 7 with a problem that keeps showing up in the same ugly way: flags, yards and missed chances. After Sunday’s overtime loss to the New York Giants, the team sits at 2-5 and has one of the league’s worst penalty profiles, with 58 flags accepted against them and 508 yards handed over through penalties.
That latest loss was a brutal example. Houston was hit with eight penalties for 80 yards against the Giants, marking the fifth time this season the Texans have given up at least 80 penalty yards in a game. For DeMeco Ryans, enough was enough.
"Yeah, the penalties are ridiculous," Ryans said post-game. "It keeps happening over and over again. So, we've got to find a way to fix it, or get different people in so we don't have the same mistakes over and over again."
Ryans returned to the issue again during his Monday press conference, and his message didn’t change much. The head coach said the Texans have to be cleaner and smarter, especially in the trenches.
"We just have to make sure we're clean, especially when it comes to blocking. Knowing when to let up, knowing we can't, you know, hold guys."
"You can't do that. So, you have to be smart there. You got to know when to let up, especially when you're at the point of attack."
The numbers back up the frustration. Of Houston’s 58 penalties, 19 have come from the offensive line, and 26 total have been tied to offensive holding or false starts, according to NFLPenalties.com. A large share of the team’s self-inflicted damage is coming before the play even gets rolling, or right at the point where drives are supposed to find rhythm.
This isn’t a brand-new issue, either. Through seven games of the Texans’ 2025 season, they had already piled up 52 penalties for 427 yards, a similar rate of mistakes to what they’ve been dealing with now. But after another offseason of roster improvement and a year’s worth of time since that point, the problem has only gotten worse.
That leaves Houston with two weeks to sort it out before its next game against the LA Chargers. The bye gives the Texans a chance to adjust personnel, clean up technique and maybe even reconsider bigger changes if the same errors keep piling up. Because if the penalties continue to drag the offense backward, the climb out of a 2-5 hole gets a lot steeper.
In Other News...
Texans Trade Deadline Pressure Is Rising But Caserio Isn't Budging
The Texans latest loss only sharpened the scrutiny on the front office, with Houston dropping to 2-5 after a 27-21 overtime defeat to the Giants in Week 7. For a team that entered the season with higher hopes, the setback added more urgency around a roster that has yet to find steady footing, especially as inconsistency continues to show up on both sides of the ball.
Nick Caserio did little to feed the trade-deadline speculation in his press conference, saying the Texans do not expect to make major personnel changes. The message was clear: Houston believes the fix has to come from cleaner, more consistent play, even as the defense sits in the bottom half of the league in most major categories aside from rushing yards allowed. [Read more 🡒]
Texans Suddenly Have A WR Concern Heading Into The Bye
The Texans receiving depth took a hit in Week 7 when Jaylin Noel left the game against the Giants with a turf toe injury, a setback that came at an awkward time with the bye week arriving next. DeMeco Ryans confirmed the injury afterward and said Noel is still being evaluated, leaving Houston to wait and see how much time the rookie wideout might miss.
Noel was reportedly in a walking boot after the game, which is never a great sign for a player whose role had been growing as the season moved along. With the Texans heading into a break, the extra days should help clarify the outlook, but the issue is now one the offense has to monitor closely as it prepares for the second half of the schedule. [Read more 🡒]
Texans Loss Got Worse With A Jaylin Noel Injury Concern
The Texans 27-21 loss to the Giants already left them with plenty to sort through from Week 7, and now there is added concern around one of their young receivers. Jaylin Noel came out of the game with a turf toe injury, and head coach DeMeco Ryans said he is still being evaluated as Houston heads into its bye week.
Houston will use the break to get a clearer picture of Noels recovery and whether he can be back when the schedule resumes. For a team trying to steady itself after a frustrating defeat, the next few days now matter for more than just regrouping from the loss, because the Texans also have to wait on a player whose availability could affect their receiver rotation moving forward. [Read more 🡒]