The Houston Texans started this season with Super Bowl ambitions, and a large percentage of the NFL viewing public is behind them. Three weeks and three losses later, and this dream seems almost comical in retrospect. But, remarkably, the 12-5 squad from last year is in the same exact apocalyptic position at 0-3, and they’ve won nine straight! So, even though an 0-3 start is close to a death sentence, the Texans are technically not out of the race.
But, does going 0-3 really say anything about this 2026 Texans team? How does it compare to last year’s squad? Well, going back to my Week 4 Power Rankings from last year, I had a lot of similar things to say:
Punt after punt after punt (six in total for this game), deflated the Texan fans like a balloon and filled them again with discontent and confusion. Why are so many receivers not opening? Why is Stroud still forced on almost every down? Why can’t the Texans get a rhythm on offense? What in the WORLD are all these punishments? – NFL Power Rankings Week 4 (2025)
Failed to get an offensive rhythm? Stroud getting pressured on every down? Similar to the complaints about Houston we’ve heard recently, but it doesn’t tell the whole story: In the first three games of the 2025 season, the Texans have scored just 38 total points and failed to gain more than 300 yards of offense in any of those contests. Conversely, the 2026 Texans have scored a total of 54 points in three games and have broken the 300-yard mark twice so far. At first, this may instill some optimism in the Texans’ outlook for this season, but to still be 0-3 despite a modestly improved offense means that three losses may be more complicated, and not easy to fix. The interior offensive line remains the main culprit of Houston’s woes, but the defense this season hasn’t been nearly as dominant as it was last year (even now), and that combined with the coaching staff’s questionable time management has created a recipe for a disastrous start to the season.
Houston fell out of most pundits’ top ten after their first loss, then they fell to the middle of the standings after their second loss, and now following a third loss, the Texans could see their stock drop to its lowest point in the CJ Stroud/DeMeco Ryans era. It’ll be like taking off a band-aid: here’s where the Houston Texans are ranked following their Week 3 loss to the Indianapolis Colts:
The Texans have a serious problem that is painfully familiar. They can’t run the ball, lack difference makers at receiver and still can’t sustain drives consistently. After a six-point output in a Week 2 loss at Cincinnati, the Texans had an almost awful Sunday in Indianapolis, except for an emergency drive to briefly take the lead. It’s unrealistic to expect the defense to carry Houston on a weekly basis, and until offensive coordinator Nick Caley finds solutions, the Texans will continue to struggle.
Week 3 results: Lost to the Colts 19-17
Week 3 rankings: 15
After scoring 28.9 fantasy points in Week 1, Montgomery has just 11.2 over the past two games combined. He averaged 0.5 yards before contact — an atrocious number for a rushing attack. Any hope for improvement in Montgomery’s fantasy production starts with better play from the offensive line. That unit is a big reason why the Texans are winless and have averaged 11.5 points over the past two weeks.
16. Houston Texans (0–3)
Last week’s ranking: No. 13
Last week’s result: lost to the Colts, 19–17
This week: vs. Cowboys
When you’re as involved in a team’s success as I have been, the complete destruction of its weakest unit—the one you believe will look new—is especially hard to stomach. But I want to be a fly on the wall in the next phase of offensive meetings for the Houston Texans. Where does the engine not plug in come from?
Week 3 Results: Lose to Indianapolis 19-17
The good news is that the Texans are in familiar territory.
The bad news is that familiar territory is in a creek.
This marks the second straight season the Texans have started 0-3. Last year, they rebounded to make the postseason and won a playoff game. The Texans also started 0-3 and made the playoffs in 2018.
But no team has made the playoffs after 0-3 starts in back-to-back seasons, and right now the Texans don’t look the part of a contender—at all.
Houston’s offensive line play and rushing attack are nonexistent—against a Colts defense that entered Week 3 with the AFC’s worst defense, the Texans had 70 rushing yards and averaged less than 3.5 yards per carry. CJ Stroud had his worst game of the season throwing the ball in Indianapolis.
Houston’s defense can’t do everything—and right now the offense isn’t doing much.
27. Texans (0-3) (Last Week: 24)
At 0-3, their season is on the line against the Cowboys this week. The offense isn’t good enough right now.
25. Houston Texans (18): Although he’s been hampered by key offensive absences, CJ Stroud doesn’t look like a quarterback worthy of, say, a $55 million-a-year contract.
“We’re 0-3 right now,” Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans said, via Texans Wire. “The only way we can do anything about it is to go through it. We’re going through it right now, it’s adversity, it happens. For me, it starts with me. I have to do a better job of getting our guys ready to roll.”
Offense has become a problem. It fell short without Nico Collins, who missed two games with a hamstring injury. Against a Colts defense that allowed the most points and yards in the NFL through two weeks, the Texans had 93 yards through three quarters. And 68 of those yards, and seven of their eight first downs, came on one drive. Even without Collins, sustaining drives shouldn’t have been that difficult. QB CJ Stroud is seeking a contract extension, and this season’s start shouldn’t give the Texans any optimism that he’s worth the big raise he’s looking for.
Sunday: Lost to the Colts 19-17
QB Confidence: Fall, again
It’s been a roller-coaster ride for fans of Houston and CJ Stroud. Through his first 23 games, Stroud is 15-8 with 26 touchdowns, five interceptions and a 101.7 passer rating. Over the next 21 games, he was 9-12 with 11 touchdowns, nine interceptions and an 86.2 passer rating. After another surge, a seven-game winning streak that included nine touchdowns and four interceptions and a 91.5 passer rating. But now, Stroud has lost four straight games, and the Texans have started their second straight season 0-3.
Next: vs. Cowboys, Sunday, 1 pm ET
17. Texans (No. 10; 0-3): The offense needs to be a little better. Instead, the defense got a little worse.
Average Rank: 22.56 (Previous Week: 15.89)
If it makes you feel any better, Houston’s average rating after an 0-3 start last year was 20.78, and that’s clearly not indicative of how they finished the season. Last year, their swarming defense led a thrilling midseason resurgence, but what about this year? What can bring us optimism in these dark times of 2026?
Well, for me, I’m rooting for the Texans to continue to improve again this year, fueled this time by starters slowly coming back from the injury report and new players improving as the season goes on. The return of WR Nico Collins and RG Ed Ingram should dramatically raise the ceiling of this offense and at least make CJ Stroud more productive. Another possible development this season is improvement from rookie LG Keylan Rutledge and trade acquisition WR Kayshon Boutte, who hold themselves capable of transforming this offense. If these four players can stay on the field and play complementary roles to each other, the Texans will start winning again.
What do you think, though? Will the Texans be able to actually right this ship in the 2026 season, or are they headed for troubled waters of no return? What gives you optimism about this team, if anything? Is a comeback like last year in the cards, or are they stuck in this rut until a serious change is made to the coaching staff, such as offensive coordinator? Next week, the Texans host the Dallas Cowboys in a classic Texas battle, which could be Nick Caley’s last game if he fails to lead the team to more than 20 points for the third straight time. Could this be a blessing for this team, or a curse? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!