The NFL is full of surprises, and some teams haven’t started the year like anyone anticipated. The Houston Texans are 0-4, but it’s not because of the offense. Just how worried should we be about Cam Ward in year two? Was hiring Brian Daboll the right move? Meanwhile, with Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton taking over play-calling duties again, should we blame Davis Webb for the slow start?

No surprise, there’s plenty to discuss. Let’s dive into the action from Week 4 of the NFL season.

Texans slow start

Coming into the season, the consensus was simple. If the Texans’ offense could be average, their defense would handle the rest.

Well, it’s been the opposite.

Houston’s defense has given up three game-winning scores in four weeks.

Let’s get something clear: it’s not because of edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. Ask anyone, and they’d agree he should be the Defensive Player of the Year right now. Over four games, he’s up to 26 pressures, 4.5 sacks, 12 run-stop tackles, and an 18.7 percent pass-rush win rate. Yet again, he gave it his all against Dallas, and it wasn’t enough. He even bear-crawled on a play to get Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott on the ground.

What’s mainly frustrating about this Texans defense is how conservative it’s been on the back end. In the loss to Dallas, CeeDee Lamb had 17 receptions for 189 yards and the game-winning touchdown. 14 of those came against zone coverage, and even late in the fourth quarter. Houston kept playing off-coverage, allowing Lamb to make easy catches for eight yards.

The Texans run zone coverage at a high rate. This season, they’re using it about 84.3 percent of the time, ranking 6th in the NFL. The problem isn’t the zone itself. Seattle, for example, runs zone nearly 90 percent of the time.

The bigger issue is how much cushioning Houston’s corners are playing with. With DeMeco Ryans taking over play-calling duties, hopefully the Texans can be more aggressive on the back end. Houston has talented cornerbacks such as Derek Stingley Jr. and Kamari Lassiter. That gives the team options. It can use press-quarters (Palms), spot-drop press looks, and even press-bail zones.

Against the Texans, offense averages 2.6 seconds to throw. That ranks 11th fastest in the NFL. Ideally, Houston can incorporate more press looks. That could give Anderson just a split-second longer to reach the quarterback. As we all know, that’s more than enough time for him to make a difference.

Houston’s offense

I’ll keep this section short, but I want to be clear. This 0-4 start has nothing to do with CJ Stroud. The offense hasn’t been anywhere near perfect, but he hasn’t gotten much help. Against Dallas, Stroud’s pocket presence and ball placement were elite. He routinely managed messy pockets, kept his eyes downfield, and found his receivers. Nico Collins is a major boost to this offense, and it was clear against the Cowboys, with a 30 percent target share.

The reality is this team can’t run the ball. Through it all, Stroud is fifth in the NFL in passing yards and has zero interceptions.

Is Cam Ward a bust?

Cam Ward entered Year 2 with high expectations after Brian Daboll joined the Tennessee Titans as his offensive coordinator. Through four games, Ward ranks 23rd in EPA per pass at -0.21 and has thrown three touchdowns this season. The reality is that Ward is learning yet another new system.

Ward has had seven different offensive coordinators in seven years, including his college years. It’s not fun to see a 0-4 record as a Titans fan, but patience is important here.

Among quarterbacks in 2025, Ward was tied for first in sacks taken and pressure-to-sack rate. You can see the effect that’s had on his game in Year 2. His internal clock is sped up, and he’s not feeling the pocket as effectively as you’d want to see early this season.

Against Baltimore in Week 4, there were a couple of throws in the first quarter where Ward had routes developing over the middle to Calvin Ridley and Wan’Dale Robinson, but he just never saw them. Anticipation is the main thing Titans fans should want to see from Ward the rest of the year. He’s shown he can do it. In the second quarter, he threw a great over-the-middle pass to Robinson that went for 22 yards. But he doesn’t do it consistently enough.

A bright spot for Titans fans is Ward’s average depth of target this season. In Week 1, it was at 5.3, and in Week 4 it jumped up to 8.4. Patience is the last thing NFL fans have, especially with young quarterbacks, but if Tennessee can remain patient with Ward, it could pay dividends. There was a reason he had excitement coming into the year. His rookie season was littered with exciting moments and throws.

Davis Webb out, Sean Payton in

As of this morning, ProFootballTalk reported that Sean Payton will be taking over play-calling duties for the Denver Broncos. Offensive coordinator Davis Webb took on the role this offseason, and the team is 2-2 through four games.

Denver ranks 21st in EPA per play and 27th in success rate through four games. Denver’s offense takes time to get going, and we’ve seen that over four weeks. The Broncos’ offense has gotten off the slow starts, averaging 3.25 points in the first half this season. So, this move begs the question. Is it Webb’s fault?

Realistically, the offense hasn’t been perfect. This team is missing rhythm right now, and the Broncos just haven’t been able to string together enough efficient plays. When you watch the tape, it doesn’t feel like this team is setting up anything or trying to get defenses to respond a certain way. But then you watch this past weekend, where Webb schemed up an open receiver in the middle of the field, but quarterback Bo Nix opted to check the ball down or run.

Sunday’s loss to San Francisco wasn’t the best outing for Nix in terms of reading the field. He had an ADOT of 4.9 yards and wasn’t as aggressive as you need to be to get a win on the road. Nix didn’t even attempt an intermediate pass (10-19 yards) in between the hashes in Week 4.

It’s hard to pin the blame on one person for a struggling NFL team, so let’s just say it’s 50/50. Nix has to play better, and Webb needs more rhythm. We’ll see if Payton can solve these issues.

Jaguars need more attention

Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen deserves so much credit. This Jaguars team is operating efficiently, and the creativity on offense is fun to watch. One thing I’ve loved watching from Coen’s offense is how he uses tight end Brenton Strange. The team will come out in I-formations and have Strange as the lead blocker on runs out of the formation. Then later in games, they’ll have Strange release on routes through the B or C gaps, creating chunk plays for the offense.

Against Cincinnati, the Jaguars did it again, but in a little different way. When the offense comes out in these heavier 13 personnel sets, the defense will respond by coming out in base. Having a receiving tight end like Strange helps the Jaguars, because we can see his athleticism shine. Same motion and formation as earlier, but this time Strange releases for a crossing route. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence just misses him, but you see the creativity from Coen.

Jacksonville’s offense ranks second in EPA per play and fourth in overall success rate. The Lawrence and Coen connection is thriving in Year two, and don’t be surprised when this team is competing for the No. 1 seed in the AFC later this season. Every time I turn on Jaguars tape, I come away impressed. Typically feel the same way when watching San Francisco and Kyle Shanahan. Not saying Coen is at that level yet, but everything looks calculated and well thought out. No one’s confused, and the team is operating at a high level.