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[Houston Texans]

Battle Red Roundtable: Time to Panic?

The Texans have yet to win a game and have the most anemic offense in professional football. The high aspirations to start this season are out the window. It would be a statistical miracle for Houston to make the playoffs… especially with their schedule. Two losses to the Los Angeles Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, playoff teams with equal aspirations is understandable, but coming out flat against the Jacksonville Jaguars is never acceptable.

This leads us to the question of the week…

Texans are 0-3. Is it time to panic?​

Clayton Anderson​

Panic? No. Come to terms with who you might be? Absolutely. Objectively, they are playing like a team that will be picking top 10 in the ’26 draft. The Colts are the class of the division, while you look like you couldn’t beat a college team right now.I’m so disappinted with the trio of Demeco, Caley, and CJ. They had all offseason to know this was coming. And yet this is what they field. Terrible.

VBallRetired: ​

Well, now we get into philosophical ground. What exactly does panicking look like? If it looks like the entire offense looking seriously at what they’re doing then you absolutely panic. If it’s changing coaches, quarterbacks, and receivers, then yes it is too soon. Only one recent team has advanced to the postseason after going 0-3 and it was your 2018 Texans. I think this version is capable of doing that again, but we need to see something from the offense first. If I hear DeMeco Ryans or QB C.J. Stroud say ‘we are close’ again, I won’t be responsible for my actions. So, as a fan that has no control I’m panicking and panicking big time.

L4Blitzer ​

Panic, maybe not yet. Worry…ABSOLUTELY!!! What is the expression… “luck is with those who don’t need it.” For Houston, back in 2023 and to an extent 2024, they didn’t need the luck per se, but they got it. However, now, when maybe one play or two could turn the tide, luck is not with them. Houston could use it. I know it is coach-speak from Ryans about “we are close”, but Houston is but a few plays from being 3-0.

HOWEVER, there is the other truism that “you are what your record says you are.” For Houston, they are 0-3, with an offense that has more turnovers in the red zone (4) than possessions that resulted in points (2), and only field goals at that. That is the biggest difference.

Best case, Houston enters their early bye at 1-4, presuming that they beat the Titans at home (not a given). I suppose they could upend Baltimore, but…HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH….nah, I couldn’t complete that line without breaking out in maniacal laughter. If you are getting 2005 vibes (when the offense was beyond awful) or 2020 vibes (when the Texans only had half a team), then you might not be wrong. It is early, and yes, the Texans have overcome an 0-3 start to get into the playoffs, but the batting average…well, it ain’t good.

Panic? No. Come to terms with who you might be? Absolutely. What I’m most disappointed by is that we were sold all offseason on the “collaboration” and potention innovation of a McVay/New England hybrid attack. At the moment, this offense couldn’t beat a college defense. They have yet to crack 20 points and they are currently ranked 26th in the NFL with a -3 turnover margin. C.J. looks defeated, Caley looks in over his head, and DeMeco’s sound bites are more grating than encouraging. They are capable of so much more than what we’re seeing, but the lack of effective game planning and execution is threatening to crater their season before it even starts. Starting 0-5 is definitely on the board now.

Mike Bullock ​

Not sure “panic” is how I would describe it right now. More like confirmation of negative expectations. Every off-season we get fired up and want to hope this will be the year. Apparently, 2025 is not it. I wasn’t fully convinced Slowik was the problem last year, although he was certainly culpable. But, by that same measurement, Caley is fully NFL (not for long) at this juncture. There’s no excuse for this offense to look this incompetent. And if Demeco Ryans doesn’t want this aimed at him, he’s going to have to take the reins and do something immediately. If Caley is still on the staff by week 5 I’ll be fake-shocked. But the reality is, I no longer expect this franchise to do things winning franchises do…

Kenneth Levy​

I’m in full panic mode… and have zero idea how these other writer’s aren’t. The team is 0-3 and still has to play the Ravens, Bills, Chiefs, Chargers, and undefeated Colts. The offense could not literally be less productive or look less lost in the red zone. Football Insight on Twitter/X illustrated it best.

Texans offense has the fewest red zone trips and zero touchdowns on those trips pic.twitter.com/1KuP4sn17H

— Football Insights (@fball_insights) September 23, 2025

The reason for panic is that this was supposed to be the Texans peak season based on the roster and salaries. Both C.J. Stroud and Will Anderson Jr. will warrant massive contracts. After that, Houston will become one of the most top-heavy teams in the league.

Not to mention this offensive coordinator may be the most inept of all of them. Why do we entrust our offense to coordinators who have NEVER CALLED A PLAY BEFORE AT ANY LEVEL? It’s asinine and frankly offensive for it to have gone on this long.

I declare a state of panic.

Joe Critz​

Hm, now that I’ve slept on the shock that was yesterday, I’ll say no. I know it’s hard not to panic after how bad this offense has looked in three games, but I’m trying to give Caserio & Caley some grace with their decision making on that side of the ball. But, DJ Bien-Aime had a quote from the Texans Cookout show hosted by Chancellor Johnson that I saw on Twitter last night that I think strikes the nail on the head: “What I’ve seen from Nick Caley is so alarming…[the offense] is basically…uncooked chicken without seasoning…When you watch the all-22…where is the creativity of getting guys wide open?”

Texans Cookout Week 3:

It’s safe to say, @Djbienaime is not letting Nick Caley anywhere near the grill.

Over 45 minutes of discussion on what’s wrong with the Texans offense

https://t.co/uSObC32moW pic.twitter.com/HwSj3sn9Am

— Chancellor Johnson (@ChancellorTV) September 22, 2025

I think there are problems with the blocking and penalties, but I don’t think either are a disaster. I think there’s problems with CJ Stroud’s processing, but it’s not a disaster either. I think the rushing attack is mediocre, but again, not a disaster. But, when you throw all of these rough edges into a stew of abhorrently bland offensive scheming, you get a disastrous result. I don’t know if it’s Caley keeping things bland in order to “give Stroud more audible control” and the blame actually rests on Stroud for not changing the offense on the field more, or if Caley is giving Stroud a horrible game plan every week, or if it’s somewhere in the middle. Either way, it’s not working and I don’t know if there’s an easy fix to the myriad of paper cut problems Houston is currently mired in. I also strongly agree with l4blitzer’s point about the quote, “luck is with those who don’t need it.” The Texans were an almost repulsively lucky team in 2023 and 2024, but now that they really need it in 2025, it’s going the other way. Four red zone turnovers can kill even the best teams, so when you’re unlucky like that AND a sloppy team, you’re asking for a losing record.

Despite that, I still don’t want to panic because I can see this offense progressing to league-average provided fewer penalties and better designs for Christian Kirk and Nico Collins, but I don’t know if it’ll be enough to make the playoffs. I don’t want to say that a conclusion like that is panic worthy, though, because I expect the team to finish in a better place this year than they did last year. I’ll try to use an older team as an example: the 2017 Chargers. This team started 0-4 with new head coach Anthony Lynn, but went 9-3 the rest of the year and barely missed the playoffs. In 2018, they kept the ball rolling, went 12-4 and beat rookie Lamar Jackson in the wildcard. Right now, I’m replacing panic with the hope that something like this will happen.

Source: https://www.battleredblog.com/group...s-analysis-opinion-tennesee-titans-nfl-week-4

 

[Houston Texans]

Houston Texans vs. Tennessee Titans: Cornerback Returns to Practice

The Houston Texans have dropped their first three games of the 2025 NFL season and will be looking to bounce back at home against the also-winless Tennessee Titans.

So far, the Texans have been in each game until the very end, mostly thanks to their defense, but there’s only so much the defense can do when the offense isn’t helping. Offensive coordinator Nick Caley has been taking a lot of heat for questionable play-calling and the overall look of the offense.

With that being said, there’s only so much Caley can do with the struggling offensive line assembled by General Manager Nick Caserio. Quarterback C.J. Stroud hasn’t looked like his former self, and a lot of that comes down to constant pressure. He’s uncomfortable in the pocket, which explains the passes he is now missing, that would normally be automatic.

The rushing attack hasn’t helped either. Nick Chubb is still a solid player, but there’s nowhere for him to run behind the offensive line. It might make sense to get rookie Woody Marks more involved, given his ability to break tackles and make plays in space.

There’s still time to turn things around, but the offense needs to get it together fast if the Texans want to salvage their season.

Here’s a look at Friday’s injury report:

LIMITED PARTICIPATION​

-CB Derek Stingley Jr. (Oblique)

FULL PARTICIPATION​

-C Jake Andrews (Ankle)

-OT Tytus Howard (Illness)

-WR Nico Collins (Knee)

Star cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. returned to practice today, on a limited basis, and will officially be listed as questionable. That is great news, considering he missed practice entirely on Wednesday and Thursday. His status is still in doubt, despite getting that practice in, but his chances of playing have increased. Veteran Tremon Smith would step in and start, if he were to miss the game.

Everyone else is good to go, and Houston needs to win this game.

Source: https://www.battleredblog.com/houst...nnessee-titans-cornerback-returns-to-practice

 

[Houston Texans]

Titan sized beatdown; Texans, Woody Marks dominate Tennessee for first win

Texans fans! Welcome to week 4, as our Houston Texans (0-3) faced off against a fellow bottom dweller in the Tennessee Titans (0-3). It isn’t breaking news to say that the home team is in desperate need of a win. Through three weeks, they’ve suffered heartbreaking losses against the Rams, Buccaneers, and most recently the Jacksonville Jaguars.

While the losses have only been by a combined 12 points, Bill Parcells would say “you are what your record says you are!”. Thus, the Texans are staring up at the Colts in the division and are looking for any way to break through today against another winless unit in the Titans.

We at BRB are officially on “Stages of Suck” watch, so there was a major point of emphasis on all the key figures who would be most impacted by the outcome today. That would be Stroud, DeMeco, Caserio, and Caley.

But, we’ll get into that later. Right now, let’s recap!

First Quarter:

(Texans take the lead 3-0 thanks to Fairbairn’s boot)

After a 12 plays and 35 yards, the Texans got on the board via a 47 yard field goal by Ka’imi Fairbairn from the Tennessee 29. 3-0 Texans

Second Quarter:

(Texans extend the lead to 6-0, thanks again to Ka’imi’s kicking proficiency.)

After virtually the same scoring drive (11 plays, 60 yards, 4:37 minutes) as in the 1st Quarter, Ka’imi again delivers the goods with a 43 yard field goal from the Tennessee 25.

Halftime: Texans: 6, Titans: 0

Analysis: At the half, the teams have combined for 249 yards, three sacks, zero red-zone trips, two missed field goals (Titans, Slye) and five punts. Truly, a toilet bowl affair on the part of both squads.

The defensive performance was outstanding, limited the Titans to 123 yards and 0 red zone trips. Cam Ward went 7-17 for only 83 yards.

However, Nick Caley’s offense responded with 6 points and only 3 more yards total (126). That’s not going to cut it, even against a team like the Titans. Hopefully, they pick things up in the second half.

Third Quarter:

(Texans miss 54 yard field goal, score still 6-0)

After getting the ball first to start the second half, the Texans went 9 plays and 33 yards to set up Fairbairn for a 54 yard field goal attempt. Unfortunately, hs missed wide right to keep the score 6-0.

Fourth Quarter:

(Houston, we have a touchdown! Texans make it 12-0 on a Woody Marks reception)

After a drive in which the Texans went 102 yards (!) on 17 total plays, Cj Stroud capped things off by hitting rookie RB Woody Marks on a 12-yard pass to finally break the scoring seal and increase the lead to 12-0. They went for a 2-point conversion but it was no good.

It’s the first TD in the very young career of the 4th round pick out of USC. Great find by Caserio.

(INT! The Texans’ get their second pick of the season)

With roughly 12:49 on the clock, Titans QB Cam Ward was intercepted by Texans All-Pro Derek Stingley on a tipped pass intended for WR Elic Ayomanor. It was their second INT of the season and first for Sting.

(Another touchdown! Texans extend the lead to 19-0 on deep reception to Higgins)

CJ Stroud finally secured his first game of multiple touchdown passes at the 9 minute mark in the 4th quarter. This happened when rookie receiver Jayden Higgins beat his man and caught a 24 yard long ball to make it 19-0 Houston!

It was the first touchdown reception of Jayden’s career and the 4th on the season for CJ.

(A third touchdown in the fourth! Woody gets into the endzone a second time for a commanding 26-0 lead)

Woody Marks couldn’t be stopped today! Capping off a drive of 6 plays and 41 yards, the rookie took it to the house on a phenomenal run to the left side to push the lead to 26-0. He also took a few ankles along the way.

It was his second of the day and his first on the ground. That gave him both a rushing and passing score for the game. (It might be safe to assume that the Texans have found their RB1 until Joe Mixon makes it back. Again, great job by Caserio)

The Texans defense completed the shutout of Cam Ward and the Titans in the 4th quarter, first victory secured.

Final Score: Texans (1-3): 26, Titans (0-4): 0

Looking ahead:

The Texans have to follow up their best overall game of the season by visiting Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium next week at 12pm.

Maybe they have some juice after all?.. Let’s see how their encore performance goes.

Here is the game by the numbers: (below)

BOX SCORE

Source: https://www.battleredblog.com/houst...s-final-score-results-player-statistics-recap