The season opener against the Bills last week wasn’t how the Houston Texans envisioned how things would go.
The Texans’ defense was throttled, while the offense kept them in the game.
Last year, the roles would have been reversed.
The questions were plenty in this week’s JMA’s Texans mailbag. There are several ways you can ask a question. Mention me on X, send me an email or fill out the form below.
Let’s get to your questions, which may be lightly edited for brevity and/or clarity:
Q: What’s the confidence level in the Texans’ secondary, especially in consideration of Reed Blankenship’s performance against the Bills, to mitigate the big-play ability of Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins?
JMA: Chase is arguably the best receiver in the NFL, and Higgins is one of the best No. 2 receivers too. So it won’t be easy.
But I’d expect DeMeco Ryans to have a plan to fix their defensive issues, and for the players to be motivated to play better as well.
It’s rare that we’ve seen the Texans lose like that. In fact, that was the second-most points allowed in the Ryans era.
But one thing about Ryans is that he rarely loses twice in a row. The first three games of the 2025 season were one of the few times.
The good thing for Houston is the Texans have a week of film on the Bengals, as do the Bengals have on them. Cincinnati knows where Houston’s weak spots are.
Now the Texans must figure out ways to solve that.
Q: Dating back to late last season, teams seem to be picking on Ed Ingram in passing situations. What solutions do you see (OC) Nick Caley having to give more support?
JMA: I thought up until that last drive, Ingram was fine. In fact, the entire line had played well enough. The Bengals boast defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, who is considered one of the best in the league at his position.
I’m sure there will be extra attention on Lawrence wherever he’s at. But outside of demanding he be better, I don’t know the Texans are overly concerned that they would bring extra help for Ingram just because.
Remember, they paid him a sizable contract this offseason, so they expect him to produce.
Q: Why was our defensive line so ineffective against the Bills’ offensive line compared to 2025? –
How did the Bills’ offensive line contain Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter? – Doug Downard
JMA: The Bills appeared better prepared for the Texans’ pass rush than the 2025 game. Early in the game, the Bills ran it often, and when they did throw it, Josh Allen got the ball out of his hands quickly.
Then as the game went on, they chipped both Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr. on several occasions with running backs and tight ends to slow their rushes. That happened on Allen’s 43-yard touchdown pass to D.J. Moore late in the second quarter.
“We saw a lot of chips, a lot of moving the pocket, a lot of play-action pass,” Anderson said. “I think that’s going to be the biggest thing. Teams are going to use a lot of play-action pass. We’re going to see a lot of different things to slow us down. … I think they did a good job of executing their game plan.”
Chips put the edge rusher at a disadvantage against the offensive lineman because their progress becomes impeded.
Also, Allen just did a great job of avoiding the rush, too, moving out of the pocket to his right to extend plays.
On Allen’s 21-yard rushing touchdown in the second quarter, Anderson tried to move inside to get Allen, but the quarterback scrambled outside of his tackle to the right side, creating an open lane to the end zone.
In 2025, the Texans did a fantastic job of keeping Allen from scrambling right where he’s most comfortable.
Q: How did Evan Brown look?
JMA: I thought there were times where he looked overpowered in the run game, but for the most part he did OK. He allowed just one pressure, but you also have to take into account that he’s not in a lot of 1-on-1 situations just by the nature of his position.
Still, there were no issues with the snaps, which is a positive and there’s no reason to bench him.
Q: Do you think we get more Marlin Klein and (Jaylin) Noel included into the offense this week? And who’s up next at LB?
JMA: I believe so. Klein made a nice catch in the first quarter for a first down. He’s shown to be a playmaker. What I did notice from him, however, was that he struggled some in the run game. He’s got to improve in that area to get more playing time.
As for Noel, he’s continued to show that he’s a playmaker, capable of explosive plays. So yes, you’ll see more of him in the offense.
Q: Why does DeMeco shy away from sending more players at QBs when they manage to hold our front four to nothing? –
JMA: That was Ryans’ approach last year, and it earned them the No. 1 defense in the NFL.
DeMeco Ryans trusts his defensive line so much that he’d rather drop his linebackers in coverage instead of blitzing them. That’s his reason.
Now obviously, the Bills executed a lot better on offense and were prepared for it. It might behoove him to blitz a little more when the opportunity arises moving forward.
Q: Should the Texans blitz more since they got no pressure? –
JMA: It could have helped, if it ensured that they’d get to the quarterback quicker. Of course, when you blitz, you have fewer players in coverage, leaving a spot on the field vulnerable. You have to pick your spots when it comes to blitzing. It doesn’t always work.
But in Sunday’s case, it might have helped.
Q: Will Wyatt Teller eventually start and when is Tank Dell expected to come back?
JMA:
I wouldn’t bet on that happening. Teller is currently a second-string offensive lineman.
As for Dell, his timetable to return is uncertain. His situation is more complicated than the typical injury. He’s coming back from a major knee injury, so I don’t know if anyone can predict his return yet. The hope from those in the organization is soon, though.
Q: Will they go into Week 2 with the same RG and RT?
JMA: Yes, as long as Ingram is healthy. He seemed to be dealing with some sort of injury.
But neither Ingram, nor Trent Brown played that badly. They just had bad moments on the final drive.
Q: How can we become more creative in the run game?
JMA: The Texans’ lack of yards isn’t due to a lack of creativity. They’ve just got to block a little better. But there were enough signs of progress that I wouldn’t be concerned.
The Texans put up 31 points on offense, tied for the eighth-most points scored this week. The running game wasn’t really the concern.
Q: DeMeco is 1-3 in opening days. How much of this is fundamentally an issue of how they operate in the offseason? The defense had zero preseason snaps.
JMA:
But every year has been different. If you look at Ryans’ first season, he was a new coach with a new offense and defense, playing against a loaded Baltimore Ravens team.
In 2024, it was Year 2 for him, and he won his first game against the Colts.
In 2025, the Texans had a new offense and were missing one of their best offensive weapons in Joe Mixon, while also playing against an elite team in the Rams.
And on Sunday, the Texans lost to another elite team with arguably the best quarterback in the league, in a game that could have gone either way.
Q:
JMA: The Texans do chip edge rushers. That’s typical for any scheme.
The difference between the Bills and Texans’ offensive lines isn’t that the Bills have a better scheme. They have more talent on the offensive line and they’ve been together longer.
The Bills are consistently ranked as having one of the best offensive lines in the league.
Q: The Texans’ D got hyped up all offseason (magazine covers and full-length articles). Did they need this humbling to bring the focus back? –Gabriel Gutierrez
JMA: I can’t say for certain that they bought into the hype. There was some proof to the pudding. They were one of the best defenses of the decade last year, and they thought of themselves in that sense.
However, sometimes you need a bad loss to bring you down to reality that it can happen at any time.
Texans Insider with Jonathan M. Alexander
Sign up for an in-depth newsletter with Houston Texans news, features and predictions.
Q: How likely are we to see more Kamari Ramsey and less Reed Blankenship? –
JMA: For now, unlikely. Blankenship was bad in coverage Sunday. Arguably the worst performance from a Texans defensive back since D’Angelo Ross was beaten by Amari Cooper in 2023.
But Blankenship is a veteran. The Texans aren’t going to give up on him after one game.
Q: In your opinion, how much tweaking, adjusting or outright fixing needs to be done after the Buffalo game?
JMA: I guess it depends on what you’re referring to. The defense is the defense. That’s not going to change. And the personnel likely won’t change much, either.
What needs to change is the Texans making the most of their opportunities.
There were a few times Houston could have ended the game, including Kamari Lassiter’s dropped interception. If the Texans get just one takeaway, this game is likely different.
Q: Weirdest game possible for this Texans team?
JMA: Based on how the defense and how offense looked last year, yes. At this point last season, the defense had played strong, while the offense was struggling.
But I’ll wait a few games before I make any sweeping judgments.
Subscribe
There’s more to Houston with the Chronicle. Subscribe today for just 25¢.
This article originally published at Houston Texans mailbag: How did Bills’ O-line contain Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter?.
About the Author
