ClutchPoints
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.
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 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...
