Stephen A. Smith didn’t mince words when he looked at the Houston Texans’ 0-3 start and the road ahead. With a trip to face the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, he said the Texans are already at a dangerous point in their season.
On Wednesday’s “First Take,” Smith made the stakes sound crystal clear. “Their season is on the line.
Houston cannot afford to lose this game,” Smith said. 'They can't afford to fall to 0-4.
Not in this AFC South. Not with the Jaguars looking the way that it's looking.
Not with Indy being as capable as they are, despite their struggles. You can't afford to go to 0-4 if you're the Houston Texans.
There's no way around it. If anybody should be desperate, it's them."
That warning comes with Houston still looking nothing like the team that entered the season with playoff expectations. DeMeco Ryans’ group is one of five NFL teams still searching for its first win in the 2026 season, and Smith pointed to a defense that has not lived up to its usual standard. After leading the league in total defense last season, the Texans are sitting 16th in yards allowed.
The bigger concern, though, has been the offense. Houston opened with a 34-31 loss to the Buffalo Bills, followed by a 20-6 home loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. Then came a 19-17 defeat to the Colts, a game in which the Texans managed just 223 yards and couldn’t turn three forced turnovers into enough points.
C.J. Stroud has avoided throwing an interception so far, but the production has still been underwhelming. He’s averaging 6.6 yards per pass attempt, and Smith doesn’t think that’s enough to back up a major payday.
"C.J. Stroud is in a contract year.
He wants his bag. He's not showing that he's worthy of the bag that he covets right now," Smith claimed.
The Texans and Cowboys kick off Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.
In Other News...
Texans Defense Just Took A Hit Houston Could Struggle To Replace
The Texans defense has already had to adjust after losing defensive tackle Mario Edwards Jr. for the rest of the season with a torn ACL. Edwards had made an early impact in the front, posting six tackles and a sack over the first three games, so Houston now has to reshuffle a part of the rotation that was beginning to find some stability.
In response, the team moved defensive end Chris Braswell up to the active roster and brought defensive tackle Aaron Graves onto the practice squad. It is a practical bit of roster management, but it also underscores how much the Texans may need from the next men up if they want to keep the interior of their defense from slipping after one of its more productive early contributors went down. [Read more 🡒]
Texans 0-3 Start Has Turned Into A Bigger Blame Fight
The Texans 0-3 start has quickly become more than a bad opening stretch. It has turned into an internal blame conversation, with the focus landing on three of the biggest decision-makers in the building: general manager Nick Caserio, head coach DeMeco Ryans and offensive coordinator Nick Caley. Each has a different piece of the puzzle, and each is being judged against a team that expected a steadier beginning.
Caserio is under scrutiny for the state of the offensive line, Ryans for the coaching decisions and broader organizational authority that come with his job, and Caley for how the offense has looked under his direction. The criticism is not evenly spread, but the frustration is real enough to raise the question of how much of this start is a roster problem, how much is a coaching problem, and where the Texans should look first if they want to stop the slide. [Read more 🡒]
Texans Rookie Could Return To A Much Bigger Role Than Expected
Kayden McDonalds path back into the Texans lineup may get more interesting than it looked when he first landed on short-term injured reserve with an ankle injury. Houston had been preparing to wait out the rookie defensive tackles absence, with an eye toward getting him back after Week 4, but the depth chart up front has changed in a way that could matter for him right away.
Mario Edwards Jr.s season-ending ACL injury thins out the defensive tackle rotation and leaves Houston with less margin for error at a spot that was already not overflowing with options. When McDonald is cleared to return, the Texans may have a tougher decision on their hands than simply easing him back in, because the snaps could be there sooner and in greater volume than anyone anticipated. [Read more 🡒]