Houston Texans

Our team assessment

Article cutoff 2026-10-06

Texans | 0-4

Houston's 0-4 record is worse than its balance of ordinary offensive and defensive play, but the recurring failures are clear. The offense's useful gains have varied from 36.8 to 50.0 percent, and the Week 2 attack produced only six points from six threatening possessions. The defense has allowed opponents to create 28 threatening drives, more than Houston's 22. The Texans have lost close games without a repeated stream of giveaways: only two all season, both in the opener.

DeMeco Ryans said “Our guys moved the ball really well”. Sunday's 30 points, eight long gains and no giveaways support him. The 34 allowed, including Dallas's late 74-yard touchdown drive, explain why that praise did not become a win. Jaylin Noel's 53-yard kickoff return helped Houston score in the third quarter; that shorter job belongs to the return unit, not a defensive stop. All three season defensive takeaways came in Week 3. The Texans cannot schedule another batch of those and call it the recovery plan.

After opponent punts or failed fourth downs, Texans possessions have begun at their own 21.0, on average, across 14 competitive drives. The weekly average has varied widely, from their own 15.0 to their own 28.0. The latest game averaged their own 15.0. The resulting possession started at midfield or closer to the end zone in 0 of those 14 cases. These are actual starting spots, including punt returns, rather than a measure of the defense alone. The return unit has added 51 punt-return yards over the season. Pre-snap changes before the first run or pass affected 2 of these drives; those changes are excluded from the listed starting spots. Starts following turnovers are counted separately: 3 competitive possessions at their own 35.7 on average.

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