What Texans' C.J. Stroud Said About Week 3 Loss vs. Colts, 0-3 Start

The Houston Texans have dropped to a lowly 0-3 following their first three games of the regular season for the second year in a row, coming as a result of their disappointing 17-19 loss vs. the Indianapolis Colts in Week 3.

It was another day where the Texans' offense really couldn't put together a productive day like they needed. The run game was poor, the passing game was limited without the presence of Nico Collins, the offensive line allowed three sacks on C.J. Stroud, and thus resulted in that third loss in a row.

What C.J. Stroud Said About Texans' Loss vs. Colts

As to why the Texans offense hasn't exactly found its rhythm three weeks into the season, Stroud himself couldn't pinpoint exactly why things looked the way they did against the Colts. However, one major takeaway remained: the fact that Houston has to be more aggressive and more explosive.

"Honestly, it could be a Rolodex of things," Stroud said of the Texans' offensive struggles post-game. "I can't really pinpoint it. I've got to watch the tape. I just think we've got to be aggressive. We can't just wait until the end."

"But I believe that if we find ways to generate more explosives, flip the field, or just find points, those are the types of games that we can win. I thought we fought. But at the same time, there's a lot of things that can be fixed."

The Texans certainly did lack that explosiveness on the offensive side of the ball from start to finish in Indianapolis.

Indianapolis Colts defensive tackle DeForest Buckner (99) tackles Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) on Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026, during a game against the Houston Texans at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

No receiver outside of Xavier Hutchinson recorded more than four receptions or 50 yards through the air. The run game averaged 3.0 yards per carry as a whole and didn't set up for much of a consistent or potent performance offensively, even against a Colts defense that hasn't proven to be too stellar this season.

Heading into the weekend, the hopes of a bounceback performance for this offense from a poor Week 2 were high, yet the turnaround just didn't come to fruition, and sparks some big questions in terms of what lies ahead for the Houston team this season.

Even at 0-3, C.J. Stroud Remains Confident in Texans

Now after those Week 3 woes, the Texans sit at 0-3; the same record they had this time last year after a rocky first three weeks to the season.

So in Stroud's mind, even while these past few weeks have been far from optimal, and the noise is going to be loud about what the Texans have up ahead, he's extremely confident in this group moving forward. That confidence, in large part, stems from the pieces Houston has around their locker room.

"At the end of the day, we know who we are in our locker room," Stroud said of the Texans' 0-3 start. "We know we'll hear noise all week... But it's us in the locker room. I think my mindset was good. I thought we had a great week of practice, but I think the production just has to go up."

"We just have to give ourselves a shot. I thought our defense did great, and at the end of the game they gave us a chance. But, that's the third time now, third quarter, just not going the way it needs to go. So, I believe we've been here before. We can get this fixed, and we will."

There is reason to have some slight bit of optimism in the Texans moving forward. The team expects to get Nico Collins back next week, will be back at home to try and bounce back from their losing skid, and this defense has still shown to be pretty comparable to last year's group.

For Stroud, this team is closer than their record may seem–– even if those on the outside might not see it the same way.

"We're making plays. But we're getting guys back from injury. I think that will help. But also just the fight that I see from our team. We're not far, but also it doesn't feel that way because we're 0-3. I think for me, I have the utmost confidence."

"You can call me crazy, I don't really care. But we've been here before. This is sadly something we can learn from what we did in the past, and do even better than last time."

While those in the locker room remaining confident is a good sign that the sky won't be falling over the course of this week, the Texans still have a lot on their plate to fix if they want to claw back into the postseason picture.

Houston will look to regroup from another disappointing loss by heading back home in Week 4 to face the Dallas Cowboys, a team that hosts one of the more potent offenses in the NFL, yet has a defense that could be exploited for a high-scoring outing to build more confidence on the offensive end.

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