One Aspect of Texans' Offense That Must Improve in 2026

The Houston Texans' offense had its fair share of ups and downs last season.

When looking at the numbers, most of their statistics came pretty close to league average. They were ranked 13th in terms of points scored, 18th in total yards, were 20th in first downs, and actually did surprisingly well in winning the possession battle––only losing 12 turnovers that ranked second amongst the league.

But league average doesn't win Super Bowls. And the way that the Texans ended last season in a pretty brutal offensive collapse in Foxborough certainly doesn't help those title hopes much either.

That's why the Texans felt a strong need to improve their offensive personnel this offseason, which does provide some additional hope for what their upcoming 2026 season could provide.

However, even deeper than those roster changes, one aspect of Houston's offensive game plan has to see a step in the right direction for those adjustments to truly equate to much: that's their effectiveness on third down, which struggled consistently throughout last season.

The Problem With Houston's Third Down Efficiency

Houston's lack of potency on third down is a piece of what consistently held their ceiling back across the 2025 season, The Texans ranked 23rd in the NFL in terms of third down conversion rate at a little over 37%.

For perspective, of the teams that ranked from 23 to 32 in that third down conversion rate, only two others made the postseason––that was the Philadelphia Eagles and the Carolina Panthers, who were at 24 and 25, respectively.

Simply, if you're poor on third down, it's probably a sign your offense is lacking a bit as a whole.

But why were the Texans so poor on third down?

Dec 27, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) looks downfield for an open receiver against the Los Angeles Chargers during the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

A large part of that is because of how frequently this offense was put in disadvantageous situations. As Houston ranked in the bottom 25% of league offenses for third down, they were also in those situations pretty frequently; tying for third in the NFL for total third downs at 13.8.

Several of those opportunities were also in third and medium, third and long looks as well. That doesn't tend to bode well for this offense.

Defenses know you're going to throw the ball, throw out packages designed to hold down that air attack, and that led to Tommy Townsend or Ka'imi Fairbairn both getting a bit more run than they had initially anticipated before the year.

So while it was the Texans' third down woes that show up on paper, it was really their lack of firepower on first and second down to establish this offense in favorable situations that hurt them even further.

If Houston could just gain a bit more momentum to move the chains earlier in drives, it puts C.J. Stroud in better looks to work off of play action where he's comfortable, and not be forced to play hero ball like he was stuck doing many times last season.

Why the Texans Have Reason for Optimism in 2026

So why should the Texans feel better about their chances on third down this year compared to last season?

Well, Houston decided to address those offensive issues pretty aggressively through the offseason, a large part of which came down to improving their rushing attack. Not only by trading for David Montgomery, but with their multiple moves adding to the offensive line as well.

Detroit Lions running back David Montgomery (5) warms up ahead of the season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. on Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Having a stable run game behind Stroud is huge for the Texans to not fall into the pit of those third-and-mediums and third-and-longs so frequently as they did last year.

Montgomery can set the tone on first and second down situations, forces defenses to respect Houston both through the air and on the ground, then giving Stroud room to operate out of play action, and will likely put the Texans in far less unfavorable late down situations as they were stuck in throughout the 2025 campaign.

If the improvements work as well as the front office has imagined, then you can expect this Texans offense to look a whole lot different than things panned out to be the last time they took the field. It'll not only help guys like Stroud look better in a pivotal year for his future, but will help raise the ceiling of this offense as a whole.

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