HOUSTON (AP) — Coach DeMeco Ryans took responsibility Monday for Houston's winless start as the Texans try to avoid opening the season 0-3 for a second straight year.
“First and foremost, I have to coach it better,” he said. “If I coach it better, we’ll play a little bit better, train a little bit longer (and) find a way to finish a football game.”
The Texans fell to 0-2 for the third time in four years with Sunday’s 20-6 loss to Cincinnati that came
after a 36-31 defeat by Buffalo in the opener.
While the defense improved this week, the offense had a tough game, failing to score a touchdown and going 0 for 4 in the red zone.
“If you don’t score in the red zone, you probably don’t win the game,” quarterback C.J. Stroud said. “We get down there, but we got stuffed on a couple of short yardages. Those are really tough. We have to be able to convert those.”
Ryans said if they hope to get their first win this week everyone must be better on Sunday.
“We all have a lot to work on,” he said. “Coaches, players, we all have a lot to work on. It’s not good enough.”
Stroud threw for 353 yards, but he completed just 30 of 55 passes on a day the Texans abandoned the running game after failing to get anything going on the ground early.
“Something we have to get better at is being able to run the football,” he said.
A turning point in the game came when it was scoreless with about seven minutes left in the first half. They had a fourth-and-inches from the Cincinnati 18 when Dexter Lawrence stuffed David Montgomery for a loss of a yard.
The Bengals got the ball and capped an 81-yard drive with a 32-yard touchdown reception by Ja’Marr Chase to take a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
“We can pinpoint the one fourth down play, but to me it’s many more plays in the game where we could coach it better and we can play it better,” Ryans said.
After getting just two sacks last week, the Texans sacked Joe Burrow five times on Sunday. Houston has had at least one sack in 23 straight games, which is a franchise record, surpassing a 22-game streak from 2010 to 2011.
Along with the five sacks, the Texans hit Burrow 10 other times on a day he was limited to just 207 yards passing.
Defensive end Will Anderson had five quarterback pressures against the Bengals to give him 218 in his career, surpassing Maxx Crosby (215) for third-most pressures in a player’s first four seasons, according to Next Gen Stats.
Houston’s usually strong special teams had a tough day against the Bengals. The Texans allowed a 40-yard kick return to start the game before fumbling the snap on a punt early in the second quarter. Kaʻimi Fairbairn missed a 58-yard field goal midway through the third quarter after making one from the same distance in the opener.
Ryans was asked to evaluate the group after the loss.
“Not great,” he said. “It wasn’t winning football from a special teams perspective.”
With star receiver Nico Collins out with a hamstring injury, Stroud looked to TE Dalton Schultz as his top target Sunday. The nine-year NFL veteran set career highs with 12 receptions for 140 yards. His receptions and yards receiving are the most by a tight end in franchise history.
Ryans criticized the offensive line for not being able to control Cincinnati’s defensive front on Sunday. The poor performance led to Houston’s running backs gaining just 18 yards on 14 carries. The group also failed to protect Stroud well late as he was sacked four times in the fourth quarter.
Ryans said it's too early to know if Collins will return this week. … DE Jadeveon Clowney (knee) and RG Ed Ingram (groin) also sat out against the Bengals.
0 — The Texans have forced zero turnovers this season after ranking third in the NFL last season with 29 takeaways.
The Texans open AFC South play at Indianapolis on Sunday where they’ll face a team that is also desperate for a win after dropping its first two games.
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