Now that the dust has settled a bit after the Houston Texans floundered to yet another gut-wrenching loss at home (this time against the New York Giants), there are some immediate thoughts that come to mind as a result of what was witnessed at Reliant Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
To be specific, I actually had nine immediate thoughts about Houston's performance against New York, ranging from yet more poor secondary play from the Texans' defensive back room, to even questions about the long term future of Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans.
Without further delay, let's talk about this doozy of a loss to the Giants.
9 Immediate thoughts from the Houston Texans' loss on Sunday against the New York Giants
Kamari Lassiter's nightmare season continues after a poor opening to the first quarter
It didn't take long for Texans cornerback Kamari Lassiter to make his impact on the game (in the worst way possible), as he was torched early by Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers for a 42-yard completion on a long ball by quarterback J.J. McCarthy. It just continues to get worse for Lassiter.
Ka'imi Fairbairn remains a stalwart for this team in spite of the loss
Texans kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn was clutch for Houston today, going 3-3 on his kicks. This included a combined 115 yards worth of field goal distance on only two kicks (57 & 58) to keep his team in the game early on as the offense figured things out.
I like Woody Marks as a pseudo RB1, but he needs help if Houston wants to be competitive
Against the NFL's fourth-worst rushing defense (135.5 YPG), Texans running back Woody Marks was only able to manage 66 yards on 19 carries (3.5 YPC). Outside of him, the rest of Houston's rushing attack (four players) combined for the other 18 yards, which brought the team's total on the day to only 84 total rusing yards. That's abysmal when considering the level of poor rushing defense they were facing.
Is anyone else going to step up in the pass rushing department?
Besides defensive end Danielle Hunter, no other defensive linemen made an impact in the sack-generation department. On a day where Houston accumulated three total sacks, the other two were split between linebacker Henry To'oTo'o and defensive backs M.J. Stewart and Kamari Lassiter. The poor pocket pressure continues for every defensive lineman not named Hunter or Will Anderson Jr.
The kick return game remains highly ineffective after a seventh game
While much has been made about the poor field positioning allowed to other teams by Houston kickers (and rightfully so), the Texans' own return proficiency has been non-existent through seven NFL games. Besides some blips on the radar here and there, Houston offers no real threat of a game-flipping return by any of their several playmakers that they stick on special teams to return kicks. Sunday's game against the Giants was no different.
The Texans apparently aren't the physical team that we thought they were
Last year, one of the super powers of Houston's defense was seen in their perceived super physciality and smash-mouth finishing ability. They exemplified S.W.A.R.M., and many teams felt their unrelenting pressure and playmaking on every single down of football. In 2026, this unit is a ghost of its former self.
Giants running back Cam Skattebo (and Jacksonville Jaguars running backs Bhayshul Tuten and Chris Rodriguez before him) showed the NFL world on Sunday afternoon that this Texans' defense can be bullied when he ran through them to the tune of 17 carries for 124 yards, one touchdown and what was essentially the game-sealing touchdown run in overtime. He punished them throughout the game, to the point where it looked like someone's uncle running over their nieces and nephews in the backyard during a family football game during Thanksgiving.
Penalties, penalties and more penalties.
For the third time in their last four games, the Texans had at least 10 penalties in a football game. At this point, it's no longer a minor blight, but rather a chronic theme of head coach DeMeco Ryans' leadership in Houston over the last four seasons. They've been one of the top-10 most whistled teams in the league since 2023 (Ryans' hire year), and it's not stopping in 2026.
C.J. Stroud and the passing attack gutted out a tough 21 points against a stingy Giants secondary
Against the fifth-best secondary in the NFL through six weeks (190.2 YPG), Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud and his passing unit had to scratch and claw for every big play they could through four quarters of regulation. Giants cornerback Deonte Banks was a thorn in the side of Texans wide receiver Nico Collins throughout the game, along with a pass rushing effort on New York's part that hurried Stroud into several near-disastrous decisions through the air (including an almost-interception thrown to edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux in overtime).
Regardless, Stroud and co. clutched up for a much-needed touchdown drive that culminated with a score with less than 1:00 left in the fourth quarter, which made it 21-21 at the time.
DeMeco Ryans is facing more pressure now than ever after a contuation of his worst season as head coach
In the 32-19 three-year stretch before the 2026 campaign, it would've been almost unthinkable to believe that the team wasn't in great hands with Ryans at the helm. However, after Sunday's putrid loss to the Giants, many in Houston's fan base are starting to change their tune on the once seemingly teflon head coach. If things continue to tailspin in the immediate future, Houston's ownership group might start to think the same thing as those who now question Ryans' long term viability as the top on-field decision maker for the franchise.
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