DeMeco Ryans: History doesn't matter, the 2026 Texans have to play good football

Published September 21, 2026 09:02 AM No team wants to start a season 0-2, but the Texans would seem to be the likeliest team in the league to shrug off a sluggish start to the year. DeMeco Ryans became the team’s head coach in 2023 and they went from 0-2 to the playoffs. An 0-3 start last year didn’t stop them from doing the same thing and the Texans went on to win Wild Card games in each of those seasons, so one might think that would be a talking point in Houston in the wake of Sunday’s 20-6 loss to the Bengals. After Sunday’s game, Ryans was asked if there’s anything to take away from past seasons and he did not find any bright side. “Nothing. We got to go to work,” Ryans said at a press conference. “We got to go play good football. That’s bottom line. It’s nothing to look back on of what happened in the past. This team right now, [the] 2026 Texans have to dig deep, look down — all of us, look down, look deep within ourselves and see how we can find a way to play better football.”While the Texans might not take solace from history, the present is also kind to them. The Titans and Colts are also 0-2 while the Jaguars are 1-1, so it doesn’t look like the division is going to be running away from them. A trip to Indianapolis is on tap in Week 3 and a win there would make for a much brighter outlook in Houston.