Questions are being asked about the Houston Texans’ offense after falling to 0-3.
The Texans had a tough outing Sunday in Jacksonville, falling 17-10 to the Jaguars as their offense struggled to find a rhythm in Florida. Promising drives often unraveled before they could make an impact, contributing to a frustrating performance.
Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans was asked postgame to assess offensive coordinator Nick Caley’s performance through three weeks. And he’s sticking to the plan.
“Overall, we’re all in this thing together,” Ryans said. “Of course we want to play better offensively. We gotta find a way to make sure we figure it out. And we will because I know we have the right people. We got the right staff, we got the right players, we just gotta figure it and we gotta go show it.”
“We got the right staff and we have the right players we just have to figure it all out and show it.”
Texans Offense, C.J. Stroud Have Struggled Of Late
The Texans last opened a season with three consecutive losses in 2020, a year that saw them drop four straight and six of their first seven games before finishing 4-12. In 2022, Houston also failed to secure a win until Week 5, although that season’s opener ended in a tie.
Ryans and quarterback C.J. Stroud ushered in a new era for the Texans in 2023, transforming the team from 3-13-1 in 2022 to back-to-back AFC South champions in their first two seasons.
Despite the success in 2024, Stroud regressed from his Offensive Rookie of the Year campaign, throwing for fewer yards and touchdowns while increasing interceptions, as Houston’s offense fell below league average in points and yards.
In response, the Texans quickly made a change for 2025, replacing offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik with Caley to lead the offense in Year 3 under Ryans and Stroud.
Houston’s first two games of the season showed promise. In Week 1, the Texans managed only field goals but stayed close in a five-point loss to the Los Angeles Rams, even getting a late lifeline off a Rams fumble. Last week, Houston appeared to have the win in hand against the Buccaneers, only for Baker Mayfield to engineer a dramatic game-winning drive, handing the Texans a 20-19 defeat.
Sunday’s matchup with the Jaguars, however, was a different story. Stroud went 25-of-38 for 204 yards, throwing one touchdown but also two costly interceptions in the loss.
Who is Nick Caley?
A Canton, Ohio, native, Caley played punter and defensive back at nearby Walsh University before moving to John Carroll University in University Heights, a Cleveland suburb. John Carroll boasts a storied NFL alumni list, including Hall of Fame coach Don Shula. Caley began his coaching career there as a graduate assistant in 2005, then spent two years at Akron, followed by stints at Auburn and Iowa State.
His first full-time role came in 2012 at Eastern Illinois as secondary coach, where he worked with future NFL players Kamu Grugier-Hill and Jimmy Garoppolo. Three years later, he reunited with Garoppolo in his first NFL role.
Caley joined the Patriots in 2015 as an offensive assistant, moving to tight ends coach after the 2016 Super Bowl and remaining in that role through 2022. He joined the Rams in 2023 as tight ends coach, adding the pass game coordinator title in 2024. Despite injuries to star receivers Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp, the Rams finished 10th in the NFL in passing yards that season.
Texans’ DeMeco Ryans Responds to Criticism of OC Nick Caley Amid 0-3 Start