'It's just senseless' – DeMeco Ryans calls out Texans' chronic problem that will keep them out of the playoffs if it doesn't get fixed

The Houston Texans have a lot to figure out on offense and if C.J. Stroud and Co. can't get going then missing the playoffs for the first time in two years is a real possibility.

But there's an ongoing issue dating as far back as last year that could still hold the Texans back even if the offense finds its footing: penalties.

Of all the game-deciding factors, penalties are usually on the lower end of the spectrum when it comes to impacting matchups. It's quite a bit different for the Texans, however, and we saw the yellow flags rear their ugly heads once again in a tight loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday Night Football.

The Texans finished 2024 with the third-most penalties at 135. They tied for the ninth-most pre-snap penalties and finished with the sixth-most roughing the passer calls. The key with those categories is the fact those are the penalties players have all the control over. The only category the Texans reflected positively in was defensive offside, where they tied for the eight-lowest amount.

They currently have 17 penalties through two games. 11 were called against the Rams to the tune of 80 yards and in a one-possession game like that, you better believe that many penalties impact the game more than usual. The Texans constantly found themselves making up ground, which never really allowed them to get into a rhythm or play their style of football. They were just constantly playing catch-up.

Monday night against the Bucs was much better in terms of the amount of flags thrown against the Texans. Houston finished the night with six penalties for 45 yards - one less than the Bucs who had seven penalties for 45 yards. But, when the flags were thrown and the impact from said flags may have actually been worse than Week 1 and it makes it feel like the Texans committed a lot more infractions than they really did:

• It all started with a hold on a six-yard Nick Chubb run in the first quarter. It was 2nd and 2 and Chubb got the first down, but the call wiped out the gain and put the Texans in a 2nd and 12 instead of a goal-to-go situation at the Bucs 6. Stroud couldn't make up the lost yardage and the Texans settled for a field goal.
• A few plays later, Baker Mayfield had a pass batted back to him for a seven-yard loss that would've led to a 3rd and 12, but Derek Stingley Jr. was called for illegal use of hands and it gave the Bucs an automatic first down. A couple plays later, Bucs guard Cody Mauch was flagged for ineligible downfield receiver, but Will Anderson went offside on the next play and gave the five yards right back to Mayfield and Co. They went on to score a touchdown later during the drive.
• Mayfield was sacked on the Bucs' next drive and it would've put them in a 3rd and 24, but Daryl Horton was hit with illegal use of hands and it gave Tampa an automatic first down.
• And then finally, it looked like the Texans were about to pin the Bucs in a 3rd and long situation at their own five-yard line, but Christian Harris' facemask on Bucky Irving gave the Bucs an automatic first down and a ton of breathing room. Fortunately the Texans blocked the ensuing punt several plays later, but the point stands the Texans could have put themselves in a great spot if it weren't for Harris' facemask. You don't want to rely on "making up for it" later down the road.

All of these things add up in close games and the Texans offense simply isn't good enough to constantly work behind the chains. On the flip side, it was the defense that made the bulk of the errors on Monday night, but still, that's hurting the offense in an indirect way in ways like flipping field position and whatnot.

“The penalties on defense were very costly penalties because these penalties gave them first
downs," DeMeco Ryans told reporters after the game. "We had a sack. Got backed up, stop. It's just senseless, some of the mistakes we're making; hands too high. It goes back to technique. We got to make sure we're doing that the right way. Every guy has to be accountable for how you're showing up and how you’re playing the game. We got to play clean football and we can't hurt the team. Right now, those plays and penalties that we had definitely hurt us."

The Texans have to fix the offense before fixing the penalties simply due to triage, for lack of a better word. They quickly have to turn to the penalties afterward, however, because this season is lost if they keep making the same mistakes. Especially after an 0-2 start.