The Houston Texans have not gotten off to a strong start to the 2026 season. Houston is now 0-2 after getting crushed 20-6 by Cincinnati in Week 2. It was a surprising result considering Houston has one of the league's best defenses and was going up against a hobbled Joe Burrow. But instead of the game turning into a blowout win for the Texans, it went in the opposite direction.
The Texans failed to truly get rolling on offense and their defense gave up enough points to lose in convincing fashion.
So where did everything go wrong for Houston?
Here are the Texans most to blame for their embarrassing loss against the Bengals in Week 2.
What was going on with Houston's running game in Week 2?
The rapid decline of Houston's running game was a big factor against Cincinnati.
David Montgomery was pretty much an afterthought for the Texans on Sunday. Not just because his production was low, but also because he wasn't given enough opportunities.
Montgomery only managed six rushing attempts to 10 yards. Woody Marks did not fare any better, only getting eight yards on eight carries.
Meanwhile, C.J.ÃÂ Stroud was the team's leading rusher with three carries for 29 rushing yards. That by itself shows how big of an issue the running game is right now.
Remember, Montgomery came to Houston to become a lead back once again. His calling card is forcing missed tackles and creating yards even in a bad situation. So why didn't the Texans trust him more in Week 2?
Part of the reason has to be coaching. After all, Stroud threw the ball 55 times on Sunday. Some of those carries could have easily been Montgomery runs instead.
All of this is incredibly concerning after Houston went all out to upgrade their offense this offseason.
Time will tell if Cincinnati simply has an elite defense now, or if Houston is more to blame for their offensive woes.
Houston's offensive line could not hold up against Cincinnati's revamped defense
Of course, one big contributing factor is the subpar play of Houston's offensive line.
The Texans allowed four sacks and eight tackles for loss in Week 2. Those plays played a big part in short-circuiting the running game and putting Stroud under tons of pressure.
The interior of the offensive line was especially poor with four of Cincinnati's tackles for loss coming form defensive tackles.
In fairness, Houston was without guard Ed Ingram on Sunday. He is dealing with a groin injury and was unable to play. But the Texans brought in veteran Wyatt Teller for situations just like this.
Realistically, the Texans may need more time for Evan Brown and rookie Keylan Rutledge to gel with the rest of the offensive line. Unfortunately, there isn't much time for that to happen as Houston is already 0-2.
Hopefully the Texans can survive until their schedule lightens up later this season.
The Texans' special teams unit left several points on the fieldÃÂ
It's never good news when the special teams unit gets dragged into a piece like this.
Houston suffered through multiple gaffes with their field goal unit that ultimately resulted in leaving several points on the field.
The Texans attempted their first field goal on the third drive of the game. But a low snap prevented the holder from getting the ball placed cleanly. The play failed and resulted in a turnover on downs. Three points gone.
Then in the second half, Ka'imi Fairbairn fell just short on a 58-yard attempt. His career long is 61 yards, so that was within his range even if it was on the longer side. Another three points gone.
ButÃÂ not kicking field goals didn't work either. Houston finished 0-4 on fourth-down conversion attempts against Cincinnati.
These points would not have magically changed the result of the game. That said, they could have significantly altered the game script by bringing Houston just that much closer to catching up.
Ultimately, the biggest takeaway here is that Sunday's loss was a full team effort. The Texans should simply bury the game tape and move on to Week 3.