The first three games are all losses and they all have something in common – a chance to win late and missed opportunities to ponder afterwards.
Sunday's 17-10 defeat at the hands of the Jaguars was a haunting reminder that if you don't correct mistakes, they can and often will derail you. The Texans had the ball three times in Jacksonville territory, driving to tie or take the lead, but couldn't do it.
One possession at the 50 resulted in a one-play drive – a glorious TD pass to Nico Collins, who ran wide open into the endzone. That followed a Jalen Pitre interception, the first of the season for a defense that's been one of the best in the NFL overall.
Three other fourth quarter possessions produced turnovers in plus territory – two interceptions and a fumble.
Add the turnover from two weeks ago and that's four in crunch time on the young campaign.
Yes, the season is just starting, But the Texans have yet to get off the launching pad in the win column. They are the only team to make the postseason following an 0-3 start in this century, doing it in the 2018 season.
Never mind that talk. Right now, this team just needs to find a way to get a win of any kind. Tennessee is coming in next week and they are no pushover, especially based on what we witnessed last year at NRG Stadium.
You see slivers of improvement here and there for Houston. Nico Collins got over the century mark in yards. It was great to have Christian Kirk back! And the Jags were held under 100 yards rushing after coming in as the top ground attack in the NFL.
But turnovers are probably the biggest poison to winning. The Jags have already matched last season's takeaway total at nine. At 2-1, they trail the undefeated Colts in the division. There's a long way to go but it's worth noting that Houston saw an 11-game road winning streak in the AFC South come to an end.
Sure, the Texans were the consensus pick to win the division. But this is the NFL, where nothing is given, it's earned. And the Texans have yet to earn a win.
DeMeco Ryans has the most adversity he's faced so far as a head coach. There are some extremely tough games coming up and the only thing the Texans can do to help drag themselves out of the ditch is focus on the Titans.
Then we'll take it from there.
