Houston, we have a problem. The Houston Texans have started 0-2 for the first time since 2023, which was DeMeco Ryan's first season as head coach. Houston lost to Tampa Bay 20-19 in a heartbreaking game in front of a national audience on Monday Night Football. The Texans clung to a one-score lead into the final minutes of the fourth quarter. But the Buccaneers punched in a touchdown by Rachaad White with seconds left to seal the victory.
Monday's loss feels emblematic of how Houston's 2025 season has been so far. The Texans are definitely not a bad team. But they have not been able to close games against good opponents thus far.
The Texans are on the brink of their worst start in several seasons. In fact, Houston has not started 0-3 since the 2018 season.
But what's going wrong in Houston? And where do the Texans need to improve going forward?
Below we will explore the Texans most to blame for the team's 0-2 start to the 2025 NFL season.
CJ Stroud under consistent pressure because of offensive line
Houston's offensive line is arguably the biggest problem in 2025.
It was no secret heading into the season that it would be a reset year for the o-line.
Houston traded away star left tackle Laremy Tunsil to Washington during the offseason. Tunsil was a mainstay in the organization for several years and, despite his age, is still one of the best left tackles in the game.
The Texans replaced Tunsil with second-round pick Aireontae Ersery from Minnesota. This may be a smart move for Houston a few years from now. But the team's new-look o-line appears to be an issue through two games.
There are few known commodities on Houston's offensive line. Ersery, Laken Tomlinson, Jake Andrews, Ed Ingram, and Tytus Howard are okay starters individually. But as a unit, they are not good enough.
CJ Stroud has been sacked seven times through two games. While those may not be catastrophic numbers, they do not includes pressures and hurries. Stroud has consistently been under pressure this season, and it is making it difficult for the Texans to run an operational offense.
Naturally Houston's passing game is struggling as a result. It is possible to place some of the blame on the receivers themselves, or even on Stroud.
But the core issue here is the offensive line.
Perhaps the unit will gel together as the season progresses. If it does not, the season could start looking grim.
Houston's running game is nonexistent without Joe Mixon
Houston's offensive line also has a huge impact on the running game.
The Texans had an okay rushing attack in Week 1, going for 114 yards. Though Stroud did account for 32 of those on scrambles.
But everything looked worse in Week 2. Houston only managed 84 rushing yards, and lead back Nick Chubb could only managed 12 carries for 43 yards and a touchdown.
One big difference compared to last year is the absence of Joe Mixon.
Mixon is no spring chicken at 29 years old, but he was incredible for the Texans in 2024. Unfortunately, Mixon will miss the first four games of the season with an ankle injury.
The optimistic perspective is that Mixon's return will bring everything back to normal. Personally, I think it will help. But it will not fix the entire problem.
Houston's issues running the ball are intimately tied with the offensive line's struggles and with the team's lackluster passing game.
Ultimately, the challenge will be on Houston's offensive coaching staff to find some answers moving forward.
Penalties are still an issue for Texans through two weeks
Finally, we have to talk about penalties.
The Texans committed a whopping 11 penalties for 80 yards in Week 1. That improved slightly in Week 2 to six penalties for 45 yards.
At the end of the day, this comes down to coaching. And it is surprising to see the Texans look so undisciplined in DeMeco Ryans' third season as head coach.
Texans fans should not overreact about the penalties, at least just yet. After all, we're only talking about a two-game sample size.
But the problem looks much worse when added to Houston's other issues.
Houston has played well enough on defense. In fact, they've held both opponents under 21 points. But they have not thrived at forcing turnovers.
Ultimately, the combination of few turnovers and committing multiple penalties is a losing recipe in the NFL.
The Texans clearly have a lot to clean up, but they don't need to fix everything all at once. But starting with unforced errors feels like an obvious first step. Especially because it is so correctable.
Houston will be under pressure to get a win in Week 3 against Jacksonville. They'll need to play a clean game to make it happen.
