The Houston Texans are back in a familiar spot, and C.J. Stroud knows exactly what has to change. After falling to the Indianapolis Colts 19-17 on Sunday, Houston is 0-3 for the second straight season, and their quarterback seemed ready with a message for the team’s offense.
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“We got to follow that motto, just like we can’t just play conservative. We got to be aggressive and attack and not be ‘the attacked,’” Stroud told reporters after the loss. “I think we’ll look at it and be better.”
The comment came after another frustrating afternoon for Houston’s offense. Stroud completed 16 of 27 passes for only 167 yards and one touchdown, while the Texans managed just 58 rushing yards on 19 carries.
Houston did eventually take a 17-16 lead in the fourth quarter after Will Anderson Jr. forced a fumble on Daniel Jones. But the Colts answered with a late drive, and Spencer Shrader drilled a 53-yard field goal with 21 seconds remaining to give Indianapolis the win.
The Texans never found much consistency offensively. David Montgomery finished with 33 yards on 11 carries, while rookie Woody Marks had 15 yards and a touchdown on five attempts.
That puts more attention on offensive coordinator Nick Caley, particularly after Stroud’s comments about being more aggressive.
However, there is at least one reason for Houston to believe a 0-3 start does not automatically end its season. The Texans started 0-3 in 2025 before reaching the playoffs as a wild card and beating the Steelers to reach the divisional round.
“We’ve been here before. We’ll get this fixed,” Stroud said. “And we will,” adding that he still has “the utmost confidence” in the team despite the difficult start.
But the problems look different this time. Houston’s offense has struggled to run the ball, and the passing game has lacked the explosive plays expected from Stroud.
Head coach DeMeco Ryans took responsibility for the loss and acknowledged that his own decisions need to improve.
“If I coach better, we’ll find ourselves on the winning side,” Ryans said.
Now Houston has little time to dwell on the loss as they return home next week to face the Dallas Cowboys on October 4.
For Stroud and the offense, the message is already clear. Houston needs to stop playing cautiously and find a way to attack defenses with more consistency before another slow start puts the season even further behind.