With the run game not working, will Texans lean more into passing? DeMeco Ryans says he's open to it
· Yahoo Sports
DeMeco Ryans' news conference Monday following his team's 19-17 loss to the Colts was as tense as any during his four seasons as head coach of the Houston Texans.
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That's because Sunday's loss was probably the lowest point of his tenure.
The Texans fell to 0-3 for the second time in two years and now face a must-win game against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday at Reliant Stadium to stay in the playoff hunt.
Most of the questions Ryans fielded were about his decisions throughout Sunday's game and why his team's rushing attack continues to struggle despite efforts to improve the position group.
"For us, it wasn't good enough for the game yesterday," Ryans said. "Starting with me, it wasn't good enough from a coaching standpoint. It wasn't good enough. We'll get better."
Through the first three weeks of the season, the Texans rank 28th in yards per carry at 3.6 and 30th in rushing yards, averaging just 84.6 per game. That's more than 10 yards below the 95 yards they averaged through the first three games last season.
Running back David Montgomery was clearly frustrated after finishing with fewer than 35 rushing yards and no touchdowns for the second week in a row.
When asked what he felt wasn't clicking against the Colts, Montgomery said, "Everything."
In many ways, he's right.
Early in the first quarter, Ryans opted to have his team go for it on fourth-and-1, hoping to get off to a fast start.
Offensive coordinator Nick Caley called a stretch run to the right, but the play gained nothing. The offensive linemen were pushed into the backfield.
Montgomery was brought down short of the line of scrimmage, and the Texans turned it over on downs on fourth-and-short for the second consecutive week.
"I have not done enough, obviously," Montgomery said Monday. "I'm trying to find other ways to keep us in the game and be more involved so I can help us get to a win."
But the Texans' lack of a running game goes beyond Montgomery - or even Woody Marks, for that matter. The offensive line has struggled to open running lanes for the two backs.
No NFL running back has been hit behind the line of scrimmage more than Montgomery.
Among running backs with at least 20 rushing attempts, Montgomery has been hit at or behind the line of scrimmage on 68% of his runs, the highest rate in the league. Marks ranks third at 59%.
Ryans said he thought the offensive line took a step in the right direction this week, but it's hard to see how.
The Texans won the turnover battle 3-0 and still lost because their offense was well below average in the first half.
Before Sunday's game, the Colts ranked 32nd in the league in passing yards allowed per game and 31st in rushing yards allowed. Yet the Texans managed just 233 yards of total offense.
Asked about Will Anderson's 2½-sack, two-forced-fumble performance Sunday, quarterback C.J. Stroud said the offense needed to follow Anderson's motto.
"We can't just play conservative," Stroud said. "We've got to be aggressive and attack, and not be the attacked."
It's a fair assessment from Stroud, who has played fairly well this season despite not having a sufficient running game to help him. Stroud has completed 60% of his passes for 794 yards, with three touchdowns, no interceptions and two fumbles.
The Texans' strategy entering the season was to take care of the football, run it and let the defense win games rather than try to be balanced.
But even that strategy hasn't worked because the Texans have had little success running the ball.
Without their top playmaker, Nico Collins, the Texans' offense has at times looked worse than it did in 2025.
Perhaps Collins' return will change things. Ryans said he's hopeful Collins and starting right guard Ed Ingram will return against the Cowboys after missing two games.
In the one game Collins played this season, Houston scored 31 points.
But the Texans need more from their offense now. Only one team in NFL history - the 1992 San Diego Chargers - has made the playoffs after starting 0-4.
Ryans said he wasn't open to parting ways with anyone on his coaching staff, including Caley and offensive line coach Cole Popovich. But he is open to leaning more into the passing game and doing whatever it takes to get more from the offense.
"The thing for me about offensive football is you have to make sure you move the ball and try to score as many points as possible," Ryans said. "How that looks to me, it really doesn't matter. You can think or want to be a certain thing. But if you're shown that that's not the case and it's not getting done, then you have to adjust.
"That's where we are."
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