Texans defensive struggles leave analyst from The Athletic admitting misread 

For a piece published on Friday morning, The Athletic's senior writers Mike Sando, Jourdan Rodrigue, Ted Nguyen, and Daniel Popper analyzed what they've gotten wrong through the first eight weeks of the 2026 NFL regular season. 

Rodrigue pointed to Houston's defense as one of her biggest misreads. The Texans were viewed as a potential elite unit, and even capable of becoming a historic defensive unit as they had carried the Texans to the AFC Divisional Round last year. 

Regression hits Houston's defensive identity

Through eight weeks, the unit has failed to match those expectations, turning what was supposed to be a strength into one of the team's more surprising disappointments.

"The idea, heading into the season — one the building believed in, too — was that Houston’s top-ranked defense would finally get some help from an improved offense, led by quarterback C.J. Stroud in a rebound year," Rodrigue wrote. "I was a year too late, and so was the Texans’ offense. This year, it has been the offense that has played above expectation — led by Stroud, who has mostly played like a top-12 quarterback and currently ranks No. 12 in EPA per dropback with 24 explosive throws (tied for fifth), 11 touchdowns, and just one interception." 

The advanced metrics highlight the extent of Houston's decline. The Texans rank 24th in EPA per play, have allowed three 30-point performances after surrendering just one all of 2025, and sit fifth-worst in explosive-play rate allowed. 

The Texans appeared uniquely positioned to avoid the kind of regression that often follows a breakout season. Houston retained rare continuity across both its coaching staff and roster, returning eight defensive starters for a second straight year. 

Yet the results have moved in the opposite direction. The unit ranks 19th in scoring defense at 24.3 points allowed per game. 

According to DJ Bien-Aime, who has covered the Houston Texans since 2022, for ESPN, the Texans' biggest regression is simple. A pass defense anchored by Derek Stingley Jr., Kamari Lassiter, and Jalen Pitre, three Pro Bowlers in the secondary, has struggled to replicate the dominance that helped Houston finish among the league leaders in pass defense a season ago. 

Houston's pass defense has taken a significant step backward after ranking fifth in the NFL in passing yards allowed (179 per game) and recording 19 interceptions in 2025.

Have teams figured out DeMeco Ryans' defense?

That's what makes the surprising regression from the defense more of a talking point. 

"Teams know us," Texans star pass-rusher Will Anderson, who leads the NFL with 7.5 sacks, told ESPN's Bien-Aime. "You know what I'm saying? They know how we play. They know our style of play."

The Texans will look to pick up their third win of the season, coming off their bye week against the (0-7) Los Angeles Chargers. 

Chargers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel has known Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans for nearly two decades, dating back to their time together in Houston in 2006 and later in San Francisco. 

On DeMeco’s defensive approach, McDaniel said, via Houston Stressans, the core structure remains consistent, but he adjusts coverages, pressures, and personnel based on matchups to keep offensive coordinators off balance.

“He's very diligent and is very tied into the strengths and the weaknesses of his group ... I think he does an elite job, as good as anybody," McDaniel said. "At having a feel in-game and being aggressive when appropriate.”