It's gone from bad to worse in a span of four quarters for theHouston Texans.
The worst part? It can still get worse, to the point of no return, come Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys.
Despite having three turnovers, Daniel Jones was able to lead the Indianapolis Colts
on the final drive to set up a 53-yard field goal from Spencer Shrader with 19 seconds left, securing the comeback 19-17 victory over Houston.For the second straight season, the Texans start 0-3. Even if Houston can right the ship, the chances of mounting a surge toward a postseason are marginally thin.
The Texans' defense struggled to slow down Jones in the first quarter, but eventually found a rhythm to shake him. Will Anderson Jr. recorded two strip sacks that were recovered by
the offense, including one on Indianapolis' opening drive.
During the third quarter, Jones tossed a moonball near the red zone, resulting in an interception from Reed Blanenship.
But perhaps the biggest play of the afternoon came in the fourth quarter. The Colts needed a first down to basically ice the game with a late field goal, but Anderson had other plans, forcing a strip-sack at midfield recovered by the defense.
C.J. Stroud would have his best drive, guiding Houston into the red zone to set up the game-leading 1-yard touchdown run from Woody Marks with 1:48 left on the clock. That felt like enough at the time, but Jones had different ideas.
Even if Indianapolis has turned the corner, the Texans' offense is downright unwatchable and uninspiring at times. Let's take a quick look at where the Texans sit among NFL power rankings throughout the major publications entering Sunday's AFC South matchup at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Nate Davis, USA TODAY: 24 (Last Week 18)
From Davis: "While he's been hindered by key offensive absences, C.J. Stroud does not look like a quarterback deserving of a, say, $55 million-a-year contract."
Pete Prisco, CBS Sports:27 (Last Week 24)
From Prisco:"At 0-3, their season is on the line against the Cowboys this week. The offense just isn't good enough right now."
Frank Schwab, Yahoo! Sports: 24 (Last Week 18)
From Schwab:"The Texans were 0-3 last season and went 12-5. So Houston can turn this around. But only six teams in NFL history, not counting the 1982 strike season, have made the playoffs after an 0-3 start, according to Josh Dubow of the Associated Press."
Nick Shook, NFL.com: 11 (Last Week 12)
From Shook: "I know the history and likelihood of a team starting 0-2 and reaching the playoffs. For those needing a reminder, just 12.8% of clubs beginning a campaign with that record have made the postseason since 1990. I also think the Texans may have landed the worst draw of any NFL team in the first two weeks. Houston competed with both Buffalo and Cincinnati, and C.J. Stroud looks more like the quarterback we’ve hoped to see. That said, you can't score six points and expect to win."
The Score: 22 (Last Week 14)
From The Score: "The Texans started 0-3 last year before winning 12 of their next 14 games to make the playoffs, so they've been down this road before. This time feels different, though. Houston's defense hasn't been the dominant force it was last season, the rushing attack has somehow gotten even worse, and C.J. Stroud looks lost despite playing turnover-free football.
Josh Kendall, The Athletic:17 (Last Week 9)
From Kendall: "It’s been a roller-coaster ride for Houston fans and C.J. Stroud. In his first 23 games, Stroud was 15-8 with 26 touchdowns, five interceptions and a 101.7 passer rating. In the next 21 games, he was 9-12 with 11 touchdowns, nine interceptions and an 86.2 passer rating. Then another climb, seven straight wins that included nine touchdowns and four interceptions and a 91.5 passer rating. But now, Stroud has lost four straight games, and the Texans have started a second straight season 0-3."
Kristopher Knox,Bleacher Report:27 (Last Week 16)
From Knox:"This marks the second straight season that the Texans have started 0-3. Last year, they rebounded to make the postseason and won a playoff game. The Texans also started 0-3 and made the playoffs in 2018.
But no team has made the playoffs after an 0-3 start in back-to-back seasons, and right now the Texans do not look the part of a contender—at all.
Houston's offensive line play and rushing attack have been all but non-existent—against a Colts defense that entered Week 3 with the AFC's worst defense, the Texans had 70 rushing yards and averaged less than 3.5 yards per carry. C.J. Stroud had his worst game of the season throwing the ball in Indianapolis."
Ralph Vacchiano, FOX Sports: 22 (Last Week 18)
Super Bowl odds: +3500
From Vacchiano: "Their defense is too good for this team to be 0-3. But their offense is comically bad, which is why they keep falling. C.J. Stroud hasn’t been a force since he was a rookie, and he has definitely been bad enough to drag them down. Their running duo of David Montgomery and Woody Marks is as bad as it gets, too, probably thanks to a shaky offensive line. "
Conor Orr,Sports Illustrated: 16 (Last Week 13)
From Orr:"When you get as involved in a team’s success as I did, the absolute breakdown of its most vulnerable unit—the one you believed would look brand new—feels especially difficult to stomach. But I would like to be a fly on the wall during the next phase of offensive meetings for the Houston Texans. Where is the machine coming unplugged? "
D.J. Bien-Aime,ESPN: 21(Last Week 15 )
From Bien-Aime: "After scoring 28.9 fantasy points in Week 1, Montgomery has only 11.2 in the past two games combined. He averages 0.5 yards before contact -- an abhorrent number for a rushing attack. Any hope for an improvement in Montgomery's fantasy production starts with better play from the offensive line. That unit is a big reason the Texans are winless and averaging 11.5 points over the past two weeks."
Cole Thompson, Texans Wire: 23 (Last Week 16)
From Thompson: "This loss falls on the shoulders of DeMeco Ryans. Why run it on fourth-and-short when you can walk away with points and take an early 3-0 lead? You do realize that would have been enough to win the game, right? And then to burn 40 seconds off the clock only to call a timeout at the end of the play? Really? Those seconds could have been valuable for a Kai'imi Faribairn field goal. Yes, the offense is unwatchable and the run game might as well take the season off, but this game was winnable even with all the mistakes. It came down to two play calls from the head coach. Houston must learn from this before reaching the 0-4 point of no return."
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: NFL power rankings round-up 2026: How do Texans fare entering Week 4?
