The Houston Texans are 0-3 right now, and that brutal start has job security whispers swirling around Coach Ryans and his staff. It’s early, we get it, but this kind of beginning wasn’t on many bingo cards, and it’s already got the internet buzzing about who’s on the hot seat. While other coaches might be leading the charge on that dreaded roll-call, Ryans’ name, along with some on his staff, is starting to show up.
Another Familiar, Ugly Start
Okay, so let’s be real: nobody had the Texans sitting at 0-3 on their bingo cards before the season kicked off. And yeah, it’s early, we get it. But these early struggles are already getting folks talking about job security, with Ryans and his crew popping up on that unenviable roll-call alongside other coaches. Now, losing to the Bills and Bengals, two legit playoff contenders, isn’t the end of the world on its own. And the Colts loss? It doesn’t look great, but it was a road game. Still, this isn’t exactly new territory for Houston. This is the second year in a row the Texans have started 0-3. And get this: in Ryans’ four seasons as head coach, this is the *third* time his squad has kicked things off at least 0-2. The 2026 Texans are now in the same boat as their 2018 and 2025 teams, trying to make the playoffs after an 0-3 hole. This was a team that saw itself among the NFL’s elite, remember? Two home losses to contenders and a division loss on the road? Not ideal. It means Houston is already buried in some critical tiebreakers.
Same Old Problems Haunting Houston
Beyond the record, the on-field performance is definitely raising eyebrows. That running game? It was supposed to be a strength, but after three games, the team is sitting at a dismal 30th in rushing. And poor Stroud! He’s already been sacked 10 times, once again among the league leaders in QBs getting hammered on drop-backs. These were HUGE problems everyone talked about coming into the season, and guess what? They don’t look fixed at all. Then there’s the defense, which was hyped up to be the best in the game. You’d think that would mean they’d be shutting teams down from minute one, right? Nope. They got absolutely shredded against Buffalo. While they’ve tightened up a bit in the next two games, they’re still not closing out like they did last season. Take the Colts game: three turnovers forced, which is great! But then they turn around and let Indy convert over 53% of their third and fourth down attempts. The defense *probably* gets itself back in shape, but can they truly carry this team the way they did last year?
Injury Woes and the ‘Not For Long’ Truth
To add insult to injury, literally, the team has taken some major injury hits. Higgins is out for the entire year, which is a gut punch. While guys like Nico Collins, Branden Smith, Kayden MacDonald, Eg Ingram, and Henry To’oTo’o should be back in the lineup before too much longer, you have to wonder: will their return actually be enough, or will it be a classic ‘too little, too late’ situation? And what about Al-Shaair? He was in and out against Indy, and if he can’t go against Dallas, that’s another blow. This league, man, it doesn’t wait around for anyone. As Jerry Glanville famously quipped, “This is the NFL, which stands for ‘Not For Long.’ I’ll be bagging groceries.” While Ryans might not be hitting up HEB for a grocery gig anytime soon, the truth is, job security is practically non-existent in today’s game. Some sports pages are already churning out their Hot Seat Rankings, and yeah, Ryans is popping up in a few of them.
The Texans are staring down a huge game against Dallas next. Can they finally overcome this usual slow start? Or will the pressure build to an unbearable point for Ryans and his staff?
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Battle Red Blog.
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