The Houston Texans are 0-2 for the second time under DeMeco Ryans, and the HC isn’t making any excuses.

Ryans, who has earned a reputation for steady leadership since taking over in 2023, refused to shift blame. “It starts with me,” Ryans said post game. “We’ve got to play better, we’ve got to coach better. We’ve got to execute better. You’ve got to go win games. You’re not just going to be given games.” Led by CJ Stroud, the Houston offense did execute good plays. The problem is they didn’t do it consistently.

Stroud threw a highlight reel pass less than four minutes into the game—a 29-yarder to Nico Collins on the right sideline to record the Texans’ first touchdown of the season and give his team an early 7-0 lead. And while the QB finished with 207 passing yards to his name, he had a completion rate of 54.2% and failed to manage the offense for much of the second half.

This raises questions about offensive coordinator Nick Caley, too, who was brought in place of Bobby Slowik, to make sure the ball was moved around efficiently enough. Yet, the Texans are averaging just 14 points per game. The obvious red flags are, however, according to Stroud, are all the more reason not to lose cool.

“We gotta stay together,” the QB said, via DJ Bien-Aime of ESPN. “Everyone is going to talk and say ‘we suck this and that.'” Thankfully for him, history offers some hope.

In 2023, the Texans also started 0-2 but went on to win the division and even a playoff game. In fact, things were far worse in 2018, when they were 2018. But they managed to AFC South nonetheless. That pattern suggests Week 3 could be another turning point if Houston shows urgency.

With the AFC race already heating up, Ryans knows the Texans can’t let these narrow losses pile up. The margin for error is tiny. The team is playing close football. Now they must avoid making bad judgment calls towards the end.

DeMeco Ryans makes a huge mistake

The Houston Texans’ 20-19 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers wasn’t just painful; it was preventable, and DeMeco Ryans is taking the heat for a late-game decision, or rather, a lack of one. Houston had just scored a quick touchdown to take a 19-14 lead with 50 seconds left. That should have been the dagger. Instead, Tampa Bay drove 80 yards in just over two minutes and punched in the game-winning touchdown with six seconds left.

The Texans still had a timeout in their pocket when the Bucs had the ball at the goal line, yet Ryans chose not to use it. That allowed Tampa Bay to control the tempo and leave Houston with virtually no time to respond. This isn’t the first time Ryans has faced criticism for conservative late-game management. In Week 7 of 2024, trailing 21-19 against the Packers, Houston had the ball inside the Green Bay 12 with two minutes left but played it safe, settled for a field goal, and left the Packers with plenty of time to set up a game-winning kick. Local media blasted the Texans then for not playing to win.

At the end, it’s all just a matter of moments. Against the Buccaneers, Nick Chubb rushing touchdown gave them a brief lead, yet Stroud got sacked on the two-point conversion attempt. In hindsight, that could have made all the difference, considering the two-point conversion attempt following Rachaad White‘s touchdown also failed.

DeMeco Ryans and his men better find ways to capitalize on these moments if they want to avoid going 0-3.