Can the Texans fix offensive woes, salvage season after 0-2 start?

After back-to-back playoff appearances, the Houston Texans were hoping to take another step forward in 2025. But now 0-2, Houston's season is on the verge of spiraling out of control. 

The Texans held a 10-7 lead at the end of the first quarter on Monday night. They even outscored Tampa Bay 9-6 in the fourth quarter and held a lead in the final seconds of the game. Unfortunately for Houston fans, none of that mattered, and the Texans eventually lost the game 20-19. 

Head coach DeMeco Ryans then got brutally honest after the game.

"I have to check the film…It’s a collective effort, but we go two for nine on third down. What do we expect if we can’t get the ball in at the goal line? What do we expect is going to happen?" said Ryans about settling for field goals and failing to score touchdowns. 

Baker Mayfield's game-winning drive ruined the comeback effort C.J. Stroud put together earlier in the second half. Trailing 14-10 at halftime, Houston held a 19-14 advantage until surrendering a touchdown with nine seconds remaining. 

Houston's blown opportunity on a national stage to Tampa Bay followed up a 14-9 defeat at the hands of the Los Angeles Rams in the season opener last week. 

The offense needs to help the defense 

What's done is done, but can the Texans salvage their season?  

Well, for that to happen, Stroud and the offense need to find some explosiveness. Stroud, who threw for just 188 yards in Week 1, completed 13-of-24 passes for 207 yards and one score against the Buccaneers. 

He did add 27 yards on the ground on Monday, but the Texans only produced 266 yards of total offense. Those 266 yards improved on their Week 1 performance by one literal yard. 

To put Houston's offensive struggles in perspective, veteran running back Nick Chubb has managed only 103 yards through two games, with 43 of them coming against Tampa Bay. 2024 Pro Bowler Nico Collins has only 77 receiving yards after consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. 

Something has to give, and something has to change in a hurry. 

History is not on Houston's side...

Because, historically speaking, digging out of a 0-2 hole is next to impossible. Since the league moved to a 32-team format in 2002, 190 teams have started 0-2, and 18, or about 9.5%, have made the postseason to this point. 

So the question now becomes, can the Texans get back on track and find a way for the offense to come close to matching the defense? 

While the offense has struggled mightily, the defense has kept Houston competitive by giving up 14 and 20 points in its two games so far. 

The Texans have no room for error and are firmly in a "must-win" situation next week, not only to avoid being 0-3, but because matchups with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans, two AFC South foes, are coming up.   

Losing to NFC teams is one thing, but dropping divisional games is an easy way to ruin a season in a hurry. The pressure is now on Ryans and Stroud to work it out.