The Houston Texans left Indianapolis with more than just a 17-19 loss. They left with an 0-3 record, a sputtering offense and a pile of questions that only seem to grow by the week.
This one was especially frustrating because the Texans never really found any rhythm. The passing game looked stuck in neutral, the run game couldn’t create much movement, and even in a matchup that seemed like a chance to clean some things up, Houston came away looking worse for wear.
C.J. Stroud managed only 167 total yards against a Colts secondary that had not been a major problem for opponents through the first part of the season.
That output tells the story on its own, but the bigger issue is how limited the Texans looked without Nico Collins. His absence has made the passing attack far easier to contain, and that was on full display again Sunday.
The receivers around Stroud just didn’t do enough with their chances. Some couldn’t separate.
Some weren’t dynamic enough. Some dropped balls that were there to be caught.
Xavier Hutchinson finished as the top target with three catches for 51 yards, and nobody else on the roster got past 30 receiving yards.
At this point, Houston needs Collins back and healthy in a hurry. Without him, the offense simply doesn’t appear to have many answers for consistently pushing the ball downfield and turning drives into points.
The ground game didn’t completely collapse, but it still didn’t come close to being a real source of comfort. That was a problem again after last weekend’s outing against the Cincinnati Bengals, when the Texans’ running backs combined to average less than 1.5 yards per carry. This time, they were a little better, but not enough to matter.
David Montgomery finished with 33 yards on 11 carries. Woody Marks found the end zone for his first touchdown of the year, but he wasn’t much more efficient, totaling 15 yards on five carries.
Given that the Colts’ run defense had already allowed over 350 yards entering Week 3, this looked like a spot where Houston could finally change the conversation on the ground. Instead, the Texans added another layer to the concern.
And now they’re back in familiar territory at 0-3. They were in a similar place last year after a Week 3 divisional loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, a moment that sent plenty of people reaching for the panic button.
There is at least some reason to remember that this team has been here before and found a way to respond. But this version of the Texans feels different from the one that opened 2025. The offense has not been nearly as explosive, the defense has not been as dominant as it was last season, and with Nick Caley in his second year as offensive coordinator and DeMeco Ryans in his fourth year as head coach, the expectation was for a cleaner start than this.
Is the season finished? No. But the Texans have given themselves a steep climb, and there is plenty of work ahead before they can feel comfortable about where they stand.
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Houstons offense has already drifted into a familiar place early in the season, with the ground game failing to match the investment the Texans made at running back and along the offensive line. Through two weeks, the running backs have not consistently generated positive plays, and C.J. Stroud has ended up leading the team in rushing yards, a sign of just how quickly the attack has tilted toward the pass.
For the Texans, that puts an unfair amount on Strouds shoulders and leaves little margin for error if defenses keep treating Houston as a one-dimensional offense. David Montgomery and Woody Marks have not yet given the unit the steadier production it needs, and until that changes, the Texans will keep asking their quarterback to carry far more of the load than any young passer should have to. [Read more 🡒]