The Houston Texans enter Sunday’s AFC South matchup against the Tennessee Titans searching for their first win after an 0-4 opening that has fallen far short of the franchise’s Super Bowl expectations.
Houston will host another winless opponent at 1 p.m. ET on CBS, with the Texans trying to avoid a fifth straight loss and a deeper hole in the playoff race. Only the 1992 San Diego Chargers have reached the postseason after beginning an NFL season 0-4.
Head coach DeMeco Ryans said the Texans cannot allow near-misses to become an excuse. Houston believes it could be 3-1 if its defense had made late stops, but Ryans emphasized that the record, not the hypothetical, is what matters.
“That’s how I operate,” Ryans said. “We could be 3-1, but we’re not. We have to find a way to make those plays and get it done. That’s my mindset. The next game is here.”
Defense has not matched last season’s standard
The Texans’ biggest early concern has been a defense that ranked first in the league in yards allowed and second in points allowed a year ago. Houston has already surrendered 36 points in the opener against Buffalo and 34 in last Sunday’s loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
No opponent scored more than 30 points against the Texans last season. The most recent team to do so before this year was Baltimore, which posted 31 on Christmas Day in 2024.
Houston’s defensive players held a closed-door meeting after Week 2, but All-Pro edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. said the group must now turn its discussions into improved play.
“There is only so much talking you can do,” Anderson said. “Now it is time to look in the mirror, figure out your priorities and decide how you are going to show up and fix it.”
Three of Houston’s four defeats have come after the offense produced a go-ahead touchdown drive in the fourth quarter. Ryans pointed to those missed opportunities when assessing a defense that has not closed games in the second half.
“When the offense gives you 30 points, the defense has to find a way to finish that game,” Ryans said. “We have been in three games where the offense did a good job, and we have not been able to close it out. We have to examine everything, make changes where needed and get it corrected.”
Stroud producing, but complementary football is missing
Quarterback C.J. Stroud entered the season under scrutiny following five interceptions and two lost fumbles during Houston’s two playoff games in January, along with two seasons that did not match the level of his record-setting 2023 rookie campaign.
Through four games, however, Stroud ranks sixth in the NFL with 1,141 passing yards. He is also sixth in explosive-play rate on dropbacks.
The offense has not been blameless. Without top receiver Nico Collins in Weeks 2 and 3, Houston averaged 11.5 points and 298 yards in losses to Cincinnati and Indianapolis. The Texans managed just seven points through three quarters against the Colts before Stroud led a late touchdown drive that briefly put Houston ahead.
That uneven production, combined with defensive breakdowns, has prevented Houston from playing the complementary football it expected entering the season.
Stroud said the Texans cannot rely on last year’s turnaround from an 0-3 start, or their 2023 recovery after an 0-2 beginning, as proof that this team will automatically recover.
“Last year’s bread is not going to feed us this year,” Stroud said. “You have to keep upgrading, whether it is personnel, play calls or execution. Everything has to improve. You have to move on from both success and failure and handle your assignment on every play.”
Titans game raises the stakes
Houston and Tampa Bay are the first preseason division favorites to open 0-4 since the 2013 Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Giants. The Texans now face a Tennessee team with the same record, making Sunday a pivotal early-season game for both AFC South clubs.
A Texans victory would not erase the problems exposed over the first month, but it would give Ryans’ team a chance to begin a recovery. Another loss would leave Houston needing an unprecedented late-season surge simply to keep its postseason hopes alive.
