In Monday's press conference, Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans indirectly commented on how slow starts on offense have somewhat persisted throughout his now three-year tenure at the helm. In the midst of his response to a question about season expectations, Ryans said this about early season production,
"For us as a team for the past few seasons that I've been here, for us to get off to a really good start, it's going to take us starting fast on offense. When we've done well in our season opener, we play well on offense."
Since his hire in 2023, Ryans and co. have a 1-2 record in week one matchups, with a scoring average of 15.7 PPG. In taking a closer look at the data, there are three very potent reasons why Houston has struggled out of the gate within the last few seasons.
The Houston Texans have had 3 reasons for their sluggish starts in week one matchups
Opponents matter: The Texans lost two out of three, and that against opponents who finished with double-digit wins
2023: Houston Texans lost vs. Baltimore Ravens 25-9
The Baltimore Ravens finished 13-4 overall in the regular season that year, with a defense that ranked sixth-best overall in the NFL (301.4 YPG). Specifically, they concluded that campaign sixth-best against the pass at 191.9 YPG, 14th against the run at 109.4 YPG and best in the NFL in points allowed at 16.5 PPG.
2024: Houston Texans defeated Indianapolis Colts 29-27
The Indianapolis Colts finished 8-9 overall in the regular season that year, with a defense that ranked 29th-overall in the NFL (361.2 YPG). Specifically, they concluded that campaign 26th against the pass at 229.4 YPG, 24th against the run at 131.8 YPG and 24th in the NFL in points allowed at 25.1 PPG.
2025: Houston Texans lost vs. Los Angeles Rams 14-9
The Los Angeles Rams finished 12-5 overall in the regular season this past year, with a defense that ranked 17th-overall in the NFL (327.5 YPG). Specifically, they concluded that campaign 19th against the pass at 216.7 YPG, 12th against the run at 110.8 YPG and 10th-best in the NFL in points allowed at 20.4 PPG.
The overall rushing attack played a vital role: In their two losses, the Texans' rushing attack ranked in the bottom-third of the league in each respective campaign.
2023: The Texans finished with the 22nd-overall rushing attack
In the 2023 season, Houston had a running back room that featured a tandem of Dameon Pierce and Devin Singletary. They combined for a total of 1,314 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns, with neither ball carrier eclipsing 1,000 yards on the campaign. What made that season all the more problematic is that quarterback C.J. Stroud was the third-leading rusher on the team with 167 yards, while also outscoring Pierce by a margin of three to two.
2024: The Texans finished with the 15th-best rushing attack
In Houston's best-overall running display in the Ryans era, Pro Bowl rusher Joe Mixon shouldered the bulk of the load in 2024. That year, accumulated 1,016 rushing yards and 11 rushing scores, while also racking up seven games of at least 100-plus rushing yards.
The problem was the depth behind Mixon, as Pierce was the next-best runner on the team with 293 rushing yards (only 60 more yards that Stroud). Having a separation that large (723 yards) between running backs when the leading rusher barely eclipses 1,000 yards (due to injury) is not the most ideal when trying to field a multi-layered offensive threat.
2025: The Texans finished with the 22nd-overall rushing attack (again)
The main reason for the massive regression on the part of the rushing attack in 2025 was that their incumbent starter in Mixon suffered a mystery foot injury that took him out or the entirety of the season (and according to reports, has also seemingly cost him the rest of his career).
As a result, Houston had to turn to veteran rusher Nick Chubb (fresh off of his own severe leg injuries) and a rookie fourth-rounder in Woody Marks to carry the load out of the backfield. Needless to say, it was another discouraging season from the unit.
The two combined for 1,209 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns, with neither player reaching 1,000 yards (sounds familiar). Stroud made his third consecutive appearance as the team's third-leading rusher, this time with 209 rushing yards and one rushing score.
All things considered, it seems like if Houston wants a productive run game then Stroud shouldn't be listed as third-best in production.
Offensive line woes: The Texans virtually fielded three consecutive bottom-five offensive line groups
2023: From left to right, the offensive line consisted of Laremy Tunsil (LT), Tytus Howard (LG), Michael Deiter (C), Shaq Mason (RG) and George Fant (RT)
In 2023, Houston's offensive line ranked 27th in pass-block win-rate (53%) and 28th in run-block win-rate (68%). They also allowed 47 sacks, which was tied for 10th-most in the NFL (with the Minnesota Vikings).
2024: From left to right, the offensive line consisted of Laremy Tunsil (LT), Kenyon Green (LG), Jarrett Patterson (C), Shaq Mason (RG) and Tytus Howard (RT)
In 2024, Houston's offensive line ranked 22nd in pass-block win-rate (58%) and 31st in run-block win-rate (68%). They also allowed 54 sacks, which was tied for third-most in the NFL (with the Seattle Seahawks).
2025: From let to right, the offensive line consisted of Aireontae Ersery (LT), Laken Tomlinson (LG), Jake Andrews (C), Ed Ingram (RG) and Tytus Howard (RT)
In 2025, Houston's offensive line ranked 30th in pass-block win-rate (56%) and 32nd in run-block win-rate (68%). They also allowed 31 sacks, which was tied for 10th-fewest in the NFL (with the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers).
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