The Houston Texans’ season has been abysmal to say the least, and we are only three weeks into the season.
Their glaring 0-3 record doesn’t even touch the surface of the underlying issues they are experiencing as a team right now, with their inability to establish an offensive identity with first-year offensive coordinator Nick Caley calling the plays.
Houston’s offense ranks 29th in the NFL, averaging 267.3 yards per game.
On Tuesday, they released veteran safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, whom they acquired in the offseason via trade with the Philadelphia Eagles for former first-round pick Kenyon Green. According to sources, Gardner-Johnson was not playing within the defensive scheme and was becoming an issue in the locker room with divisive and malicious rhetoric.
There is only one way for the Texans team to bring some normalcy back, get themselves on track, and try to salvage the season: play a team that is in more disarray than they are.
Good thing they have the 0-3 Tennessee Titans heading into NRG Stadium on Sunday, a team that has a plethora of problems themselves, including offensive issues so severe under head coach Brian Callahan that on Tuesday, he met with the media and announced that he would be relinquishing play-calling duties to quarterbacks coach Bo Hardegree.
The Titans, who were ironically the Houston Oilers before relocating to Tennessee in 1997, could be exactly what a struggling Texans team needs to regain some confidence with two games left before the Week 6 bye. Houston has won four out of their last five meetings against the Titans.
Quarterback C.J. Stroud has not shown any signs of being the 2023 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, as he has only thrown for 599 yards, with two touchdowns and three interceptions. His 64 percent completion rate and inconsistent ability to move the offense have been a talking point for most NFL analysts this season.
Yet, Stroud always finds a way to shine against the Titans. Although he has only faced the Titans three times in his career, with one game being at the end of last season, as Houston’s playoff future was already set, the former second-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft has averaged 230 yards per game in the two meaningful games.
Suppose Houston’s record drops to 0-4 with a loss to Tennessee. In that case, it will be time for the team to take a hard look in the mirror and make some significant changes within the organization, something that head coach DeMeco Ryans wants to avoid during the season, but he might be forced to do so.