The Houston Texans entered the 2026 season with sky-high expectations after their dominant display the season prior.
They are pretty much stacked at all three levels of the defense, but somehow, things have not looked the way they used to. Regression is always possible in the NFL, but the drop-off from one year to the next, especially without losing much talent, has been troublesome.
If you look back at the start of last season, the Texans’ defense also started somewhat slow and did not immediately
become the dominant unit we eventually saw. The offense could not get much of anything going, and the defense was doing everything it could to keep Houston in games.
This year, it has been almost the complete opposite.
Houston’s offense has looked far better when fully healthy. The Texans have put up 30 points per game when their best wide receiver, Nico Collins, has been on the field. He missed two games this season, and the offense struggled tremendously without him, but that is a story for a different day.
The reality of the situation is that quarterback C.J. Stroud gave the Texans a late fourth-quarter lead in three of their first four games. In each of those situations, the defense had an opportunity to get a stop and close out the game, but they were unable to do so.
That is a major reason why this team is sitting at 0-4.
Defensively, the Texans have immense talent, and there is no questioning that. The issue is that it feels like the players are not always being put in the best situations to succeed, especially when it comes to the scheme in certain situations.
This is a defense loaded with players who have already proven they can play at an elite level. When a unit this talented continues to struggle in crucial moments, eventually you have to look beyond the players themselves and figure out what needs to change.
In order for Houston to have any chance of turning this season around, the defense simply has to be better. The good news is that there is plenty of reason to believe that will happen. There is far too much talent on this roster for this unit to continue playing at this level.
Defensive end Will Anderson Jr. is already having a Defensive Player of the Year-caliber season and has been practically unstoppable through the first four games. He has established himself as the anchor of this defense and continues to make an impact on a weekly basis.
The Texans now need the rest of the defense to follow his lead.
Starting 0-4 is obviously far from ideal, and Houston has put itself in a difficult position moving forward. However, this does not feel like a team that is completely lost. They have been in position to win several of these games and have simply failed to finish them.
They are close.
Now, they have to prove that being close can eventually turn into winning football games.
