Who Deserves the Most Blame for the Texans’ 0-4 Start?

Four games. Four losses. Fans are not happy. They have questions that really deserve answers at this point.

After falling 34-30 to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, the Houston Texans are sitting at 0-4, and we're officially beyond the point where one bad bounce, one questionable call or one unfortunate mistake can explain what's happening.

Something isn't working.

The frustrating part is that this roster doesn't look like an 0-4 football team on paper. Houston has C.J. Stroud, Nico Collins, Will Anderson Jr., Derek Stingley Jr. and plenty of talent surrounding them.

Yet the Texans still haven't won a game.

So, who deserves the most blame? Texans fans have expressed their decisions and frustrations, and it's plethora of reasons.

There is plenty to go around between DeMeco Ryans, offensive coordinator Nick Caley, the defense and the players. But after watching four weeks of Houston football, I believe the biggest share has to land on Ryans and his coaching staff.

Not because Ryans suddenly forgot how to coach.

Because when talented teams repeatedly make the same mistakes, responsibility eventually reaches the head coach.

Let's start at the top.

Ryans helped transform the culture of this franchise, and that shouldn't be forgotten because of four bad games. But being the head coach also means accepting responsibility when the entire operation isn't functioning properly.

Houston's 13 penalties for 90 yards against Dallas are a perfect example. The Texans didn't turn the football over. Stroud threw for 347 yards and two touchdowns. Nico Collins produced 118 receiving yards and two scores, and Houston still lost.

Thirteen penalties aren't simply bad luck. When penalties, communication problems and late-game mistakes keep happening, they become a discipline issue.

The bigger concern is Houston's inability to finish. The Texans took a 30-27 lead with 2:26 remaining Sunday. Dallas responded by driving down the field and scoring the winning touchdown.

According to The Washington Post, it was the second consecutive week Houston took a late lead only to watch its defense surrender the decisive score.

That's where Ryans deserves criticism. Defense is his specialty. Houston is constructed to win games with a physical, aggressive defense capable of protecting leads.

Right now, that isn't happening.

I've been critical of Nick Caley's offense through Houston's first few games, particularly when the Texans become predictable or struggle to establish an identity.

But I'm not putting the Dallas loss primarily on Caley. Houston scored 30 points. Stroud completed 21 of 31 passes for 347 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. Collins caught seven passes for 118 yards and two touchdowns. The Texans averaged 7.6 yards per offensive play. That's enough production to win an NFL game.

Caley even dialed up one of Houston's biggest plays late in the fourth quarter, a hook-and-ladder that helped set up Woody Marks' go-ahead touchdown. The Houston Chronicle's postgame evaluation specifically noted the improvement in Caley's play-calling against Dallas.

Does that erase the offensive inconsistencies from the first three weeks? Absolutely not.

Caley still has plenty to prove. But if Houston's offense gives the defense a 30-27 lead with just over two minutes remaining, I'm expecting the defense to finish the job.

This might be the strangest part of Houston's start. The defense was supposed to be the team's safety net. Instead, it has become part of the problem.

Against Dallas, CeeDee Lamb caught 17 passes for 189 yards and the game-winning touchdown. Dak Prescott threw for 335 yards without an interception.

Houston simply couldn't get off the field when it mattered. Even more telling was what Texans defenders said afterward.

Derek Stingley Jr. didn't point fingers at Ryans or the defensive scheme. He said the coaches put the players in position and that the players failed to execute. Other Texans defenders similarly stressed execution, communication and accountability after the loss.

I respect that. But admitting responsibility doesn't erase the problem. Houston has too much talent defensively to consistently allow opponents to dictate games late.

Coaches can design the perfect play. Players still have to execute it. That means Stingley, Will Anderson, Jalen Pitre, Kamari Lassiter and the rest of Houston's defensive core deserve their share of responsibility.

Missed assignments matter. Penalties matter. Poor communication matters. Failing to make a play on fourth down with the game hanging in the balance matters.

And Houston's offensive players aren't completely innocent either. The Cowboys game was easily one of Stroud's strongest performances of the season, but the offense hasn't consistently played at that level through four weeks.

That's why blaming one coordinator for everything would be too easy.

If I'm dividing responsibility for the 0-4 start, here's where I land:

DeMeco Ryans and the overall coaching staff — 40%

Ryans is the head coach. Discipline, adjustments, game management and having the team prepared ultimately fall under his umbrella.

The players — 30%

At some point, players have to execute. Thirteen penalties against Dallas and repeated defensive breakdowns can't all be blamed on a play sheet.

The defense — 20%

Yes, there's overlap with the players, but I'm separating the unit because Houston's defense was expected to be one of the strengths of this team. Instead, it has repeatedly failed to protect late leads. Some analysts have specifically identified the defensive decline as Houston's biggest concern through four weeks.

Nick Caley — 10%

Caley's percentage would have been much higher after the first three games. But I'm giving him credit for what we saw Sunday. Houston scored 30 points, Stroud threw for 347 yards and the offense gave the defense a late lead.

You can't ask for much more than that.

I still believe DeMeco Ryans is capable of fixing this. But that doesn't mean he gets a free pass. When you're the head coach of a talented team sitting at 0-4, accountability starts with you.

Ryans has built a culture players appear to believe in. Now that culture has to translate into disciplined football. The penalties have to decrease.

The defensive communication has to improve. The late-game collapses have to stop. And the Texans have to quit finding different ways to lose games they have opportunities to win.

Nick Caley deserves criticism for Houston's offensive inconsistency. The defense deserves criticism for failing to close games. The players deserve criticism for penalties and execution.

But ultimately, DeMeco Ryans carries the largest share of responsibility because he's responsible for all of it.

Houston doesn't need Ryans to completely reinvent this team. It needs him to get the talented team he already has to stop beating itself. Because 0-4 is no longer just a slow start.

It's a crisis, and the Texans are quickly running out of time to fix it.