The Houston Texans are running out of time to let their offense find itself.
After two games, the pressure around offensive coordinator Nick Caley is already back at full blast, and the criticism is coming from a familiar place: the same slow start, the same head-scratching play calls, the same sense that Houston is wasting too many snaps trying to force an identity that isn’t working. For a team that has made it clear its goal is to contend for a Super Bowl in its 25th anniversary season, that is a dangerous place to be this early.
Chris Long didn’t exactly dance around the issue on Monday. The former NFL defensive end and host of the Green Light Podcast laid the problem at Caley’s feet in blunt terms.
"Caley, it's year two. I gotta see something," began Long's potent diagnosis.
Long then pointed straight at Caley’s approach against the Cincinnati Bengals, calling out the decision to keep hammering the run into fronts that were already set up to stop it.
"The definition of insanity yesterday, running into odd fronts. You have Dexter Lawrence head-up on your center, and he's just whoopin' 'em.
They're building a wall, they're gapping people out. To me, the stubbornness to continue to run the football into those fronts.
I thought they needed to get into lighter personnel and affect box counts that way and affect fronts that they. And they actually had some positive plays running the football out of the gun, but they just went away from it.
I hated some of the decision making, like that fourth down [the 4th & inches stop in the second quarter] was terrible."
That kind of criticism has followed Caley since he took over, and it has only sharpened as the Texans have opened with another sluggish offensive stretch. The concerns aren’t just about one game plan or one bad sequence. They’re about a pattern: running when passing looks cleaner, passing when the run could help, leaning into inside runs when the outside lanes are available, and too often leaving tight ends and running backs out of the passing game in favor of wide receivers like Xavier Hutchinson and Jared Wayne.
Even with Nico Collins, Jayden Higgins and Tank Dell all sidelined by injury, Houston’s offense has looked too limited when it hits turbulence. The issues have shown up in the standings, too. Because of Caley’s offenses, the Texans have now started both of the last two seasons by going a combined 0-5 over the first five games.
That puts Sunday’s trip to Indianapolis into must-win territory fast.
The Texans will make their first road trip of the season to face the Colts, another AFC South team that is staring at 0-3. Indianapolis is coming off a heartbreaking 33-30 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday Night Football, and its defense has already given up 74 points and 1,029 yards through two games against the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City. On paper, that should be the kind of matchup that gives Houston a real chance to get rolling.
But that is also what makes this week feel so precarious.
If Caley’s offense sputters again against a defense that has already been leaking yards and points, the Texans could be staring at an 0-3 start for the second year in a row. At that point, the conversation around Caley would only get louder, and head coach DeMeco Ryans would be forced to deal with a decision he probably hoped to avoid this early in the season.
Houston is already at another crossroads, and it arrived after only two games. If the offense doesn’t change course quickly, the questions around Caley won’t just linger - they’ll take over.
In Other News...
Texans Fans Had Every Reason To Watch C.J. Stroud Closely
C.J. Stroud gave Texans fans a brief scare after the game when he appeared to limp, but the quarterback brushed it off as the sort of normal bumps and bruises that come with a season. For a Houston team built around his presence and poise, even a small hitch in his movement is enough to draw attention, especially with the offense so clearly centered on how he feels and functions week to week.
DeMeco Ryans said he had not yet seen Stroud after the game, though the coach said he hoped the quarterback was fine. For now, there is no indication Stroud is dealing with a significant injury, which is the main thing Houston wanted to hear after watching him leave the field with that slight concern hanging in the air. [Read more 🡒]
Texans Head To Indianapolis With One Worry Growing Fast
The first two weeks have left Houston with a familiar kind of unease: enough defensive progress to see a path forward, but not nearly enough offensive rhythm to feel good about where this season is headed. After losses to Buffalo and Cincinnati, the Texans have slid in a number of power rankings, and the common theme around the league has been the same one showing up on the field - the offense has not matched the rest of the roster.
Now comes a Week 3 trip to Indianapolis that already feels heavier than an early September game should. C.J. Stroud still looks like the engine of the franchise, but he needs more help, especially up front, where the offensive line remains the clearest concern. The Colts offer a chance to steady the tone before the schedule gets away from Houston, and it is hard to miss how much hinges on the Texans getting the protection and support Stroud needs. [Read more 🡒]
Texans May Be Facing Another Nico Collins Problem This Week
Nico Collins has already forced the Texans to adjust once, and the early signs this week suggest they may have to do it again. After sitting out multiple practices and missing the Week 2 game against the Cincinnati Bengals with a Grade 1 hamstring strain, Collins was not on the field for the open media portion of Wednesdays session as Houston began preparing for the Indianapolis Colts.
For an offense that leans on Collins as a key target, any extended absence would put more pressure on the rest of the receiving group to absorb his workload. The Texans still have time to see how the week unfolds, but with Collins' availability once again in question, the margin for error looks thinner heading into a division matchup that already carries plenty of weight. [Read more 🡒]