The Houston Texans are sitting at 2-4 heading into Sunday’s matchup with the New York Giants, the first time these two teams have faced off since way back in 2022. While C.J. Stroud and the Texans have pulled off two straight wins after an abysmal 0-4 start, fans aren’t exactly popping champagne. There’s a real worry that these wins are just a temporary reprieve from deeper issues, a sentiment that speaks volumes about their early season struggles.
Can the Texans Really Climb Out of This Hole?
Texans fans have seen this movie before. Twice in the last three seasons, this team has dug itself an early hole. There’s “some level of faith” they can get back into the hunt, but let’s be real: you eventually hit rock bottom. The glimmer of hope? Their schedule is apparently easing up in the middle. The goal is to hit 6-4, then push for that “magical ten win plateau” to sneak into the playoffs. It all sounds like a big ask for a team that seems to take forever to figure out what works. Scott Barzilla from SB Nation’s Battle Red Blog points to “systemic issues” causing these slow starts. His theory? They keep trying to be a hard-nosed running team, despite that never being their actual identity, only to revert to a more open offense later. It’s a frustrating cycle, if true.
DeMeco Ryans’ Defense Has Been Figured Out, and It’s Getting Ugly
Even with those two recent wins, the Houston defense is nowhere near the dominant force it was last season. What’s gone wrong? DeMeco Ryans took back play-calling duties two weeks ago, and while they had “one really good week,” the last game was a dud. Ryans blamed the field conditions, which, sure, can be a factor. But the bigger picture, in Scott’s view, is that Ryans’ brilliant scheme, which worked for five strong years in San Francisco and then Houston, has been “figured out” by opposing offensive coordinators. You just can’t do anything for too long in this league before teams adjust. Ryans needs “new wrinkles,” but there’s a “stubborn streak” at play. Superior schemes win in this league, and according to this take, his isn’t superior anymore. That’s a brutal assessment for any coach.
The struggles in the middle of that defense are especially glaring. The Texans are reportedly getting “eaten up” in the middle, partly because their current linebackers are stout against the run but perhaps lack elsewhere. If you could snatch one player from the Giants’ roster for Houston, it would be linebacker Arvell Reese to plug that exact hole. That tells you everything you need to know about where the immediate defensive needs lie.
The Texans face the Giants on Sunday, needing every win they can get to prove they aren’t just treading water in that hole they dug. Will Ryans show he can adapt? Or will that stubborn streak keep them from finding those “new wrinkles” they desperately need? It’s a huge test for their season.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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