The Houston Texans are staring at an 0-2 hole, but they may be the one team in that group that can breathe a little easier.
That’s the case ESPN’s Bill Barnwell made when he ranked Houston as the 0-2 team with the best playoff outlook. Barnwell put the Texans’ chances of reaching the postseason through ESPN’s FPI at 41.8%, which he noted was the 16th-highest mark. He also pointed to the fact that, after what happened in 2025, there isn’t the same level of alarm around an 0-2 start for a team with real expectations.
That matters because the Texans have already lived this script. They opened the 2025 season 0-3 and still found a way to win the AFC South.
This year’s start has been ugly in its own way. Houston dropped a tight Week 1 game to the Buffalo Bills that could have gone the other way, then followed it with a bleak loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 2. The offensive line remains a problem, and now there are defensive concerns layered on top of Nico Collins’ injury.
Still, the path back is there.
The Texans already drew two of the toughest opponents on their schedule in the Bills and Bengals, and the slate gets softer from here. Week 3 brings an 0-2 Indianapolis Colts team, and the rest of the AFC South is sitting there for Houston to chase, with the 0-2 Tennessee Titans and the 1-1 Jacksonville Jaguars in the mix.
Barnwell’s point is that there’s no reason to bury Houston yet, especially with a division that looks winnable and a defense that still has enough talent to keep the team in the race. He also made clear that the concerns are real: the offensive line is still a question, and the defense may not be as dominant as it was last season.
But with C.J. Stroud and Collins able to tilt the offense back into better shape once Collins returns, the Texans have enough pieces to make a run. Among the 0-2 teams, they look like the one most likely to turn this around and get back into the playoff picture.
In Other News...
Texans O-Line Decision Could Define Houstons Next Step With C.J. Stroud
After a rough Week 2 loss, DeMeco Ryans left open the possibility of reshuffling Houstons offensive line, with Blake Fisher in the mix at right tackle as the Texans try to settle things in front of C.J. Stroud. Its the kind of early-season adjustment that can quickly shape how an offense looks, especially for a team still searching for its first win and trying to avoid digging a deeper hole in the AFC South.
The timing matters with Indianapolis coming to town in Week 3, even with the Colts set to be without wide receiver Alec Pierce because of injury. Houstons focus remains much closer to home, where the priority is protecting Stroud and finding a combination up front that can give the offense a cleaner path forward. Whether Ryans sticks with the current look or makes a change will say plenty about how urgent the Texans feel the situation is. [Read more 🡒]
Texans Enter Colts Week With One Growing Problem On Offense
Nico Collins has become the latest concern for a Texans offense that has not had much room for error even with decent passing yardage from rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud. Collins has missed multiple practices with a hamstring injury and is unlikely to play against the Indianapolis Colts, which leaves Houston heading into a divisional game without one of its most dependable targets.
The timing is less than ideal for an offense already trying to find a better balance. The passing game has moved the ball at times, but the unit has still had trouble turning production into points, and the running game has not been able to carry enough of the load. With Collins trending toward sitting out, Houston may have to lean harder on the run and spread the ball around to more receivers to keep the offense from stalling again. [Read more 🡒]
Texans Offense Faces Early Turning Point Against Colts
The Texans head into Week 3 with a little more pressure than anyone in Houston probably expected this early, and the matchup with the Colts feels like an immediate check on where the offense is headed. Both teams are 0-2, so this is less about October scoreboard watching and more about which side can stop the early-season slide before it really starts to define the year.
For Houston, the questions are all on the offensive side, where C.J. Stroud could be set up for another big passing day if the game script leans that way. There is also the possibility of Woody Marks getting a larger share of the backfield work, along with more chances for tight ends Foster Moreau and Marlin Klein to show up in the personnel mix, giving the Texans a few different ways to search for a spark against a division rival. [Read more 🡒]