To say that the Houston Texans' offense has been struggling to start the 2025 season would be a major understatement. After suffering a 14-9 defeat to the Los Angeles Rams on opening week, the Texans' offense tripped on themselves yet again during their Week 2 clash against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, mustering all of 19 points in a 20-19 defeat.
Stroud hasn't quite been at his best to start the year for the Texans, and fans are starting to lose patience; this was the year that they were supposed to take a major leap after all. And while an 0-2 start is not the end of the world, the way the Texans have lost their first two games of the year is definitely not going to provide any sort of comfort to a fanbase that wants nothing more than to see their team thrive.
Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans dished a reality check for Stroud and the rest of the team, who weren't able to execute when it mattered the most on Monday.
“It's a collective effort, but we go two for nine on third down. What do we expect if we can't get the ball in at the goal line? What do we expect is going to happen?” Ryan said following the game, per DJ Bien-Aime of ESPN.
Indeed, completing just 22.2 of plays on third down is not going to be a recipe for success for any team, let alone a Texans team that relies so much on Stroud to get going. But the problem certainly runs deeper than their execution, with Stroud seemingly not getting enough protection from his linesmen. The Texans QB seems to be rushing, and the team's play has suffered as a result.
Be that as it may, the Texans can hold on to the fact that it's very early in the season and an 0-2 start is the furthest thing in the world from unrecoverable.
Texans look to grab first win of the season in Week 3
The Texans certainly did not envision that they would be winless heading into the third week of the new NFL season. But alas, this is the hand they've been dealt, which is a bit self-inflicted as well, and all they could do now is be better from here on out.
Their opponent in Week 3 is going to be the Jacksonville Jaguars, a team that's off to a 1-1 start in 2025. The Jaguars lost to the Cincinnati Bengals, 31-27, in Week 2, so they'll want to get back to winning ways as well.
