• Constant pressure is still pervading C.J. Stroud: Houston has allowed at least a 35.3% pressure rate in all of its three losses.

• New faces aren’t helping: Aireontae Ersery, Laken Tomlinson and Cam Robinson have each been through the ringer in the young NFL season.

• The Houston Texans fell to the Jacksonville Jaguars in a divisional showdown: Dive into the PFF game recap for advanced stats, snap counts, early player grades and more!

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After making their second straight postseason appearance and winning another AFC South crown, the Houston Texans were viewed as division favorites and a presumptive playoff team entering the 2025 NFL season. But through three weeks, the team remains winless — with its lackluster pass protection remaining a culprit.

As the Texans lost their third straight contest against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 3, their ability to block for C.J. Stroud remained subpar. Facing off against a top-tier edge rusher tandem in Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker, Houston permitted 16 pressures on a 37.2% pressure rate. Stroud’s consistent disruption limited the Texans to 10 points and -0.266 EPA per play, including a miserable -0.319 EPA per passing play and only three explosive passes.

Through the first three games of 2025, the reality is that Houston’s overall pass blocking is still among the worst in the NFL. The Texans’ 40 pressures allowed are the ninth-most; their 57.1 PFF pass-blocking grade ranks 22nd; and their 38.3% pressure rate is also the eighth-highest. In fact, the Texans have surrendered at least 12 pressures and a 35.3% pressure rate in every single game this season.

A year ago, Houston’s offensive line was largely the biggest reason for the team’s demise. As Stroud led the NFL in pressured dropbacks, the Texans’ mix-and-match group finished the 2024 season 19th in PFF pass-blocking grade and yielded the seventh-most pressures. As a result, general manager Nick Caserio overhauled the bunch, adding Cam Robinson, second-round pick Aireontae Ersery, Ed Ingram and Laken Tomlinson while swapping out the likes of Laremy Tunsil and Kenyon Green.

The silver lining is that Houston’s offensive line has demonstrated some improvement — playing closer to league average, slotting 16th in PFF pass-blocking grade with 32 pressures given up through three games — but the Texans haven’t been able to hold up at other positions. In Week 3, Nick Chubb was responsible for two pressures on only four pass-blocking snaps, while Woody Marks and Harrison Bryant also allowed a rusher to get home to Stroud. Likewise, Dare Ogunbowale has surrendered three pressures across 11 opportunities.

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Some natural growing pains should have been expected for Ersery, a rookie who’s already vacillated playing both left and right tackle in his infantile career. But the Minnesota product hasn’t offered the instant insurance that Stroud or the Texans have desperately desired, granting 11 pressures and three sacks through his first three NFL games.

Further, what’s alarming is that other newcomers haven’t moved the needle. Tomlinson, who compiled a 66.0 PFF pass-blocking mark with the Seahawks last year, sits at a 52.2 grade with seven pressures and two sacks conceded so far. Likewise, Robinson — who earned a 67.2 PFF pass-blocking grade with the Jaguars and Vikings, admittedly south of his grades over the last few years — was benched after Week 1.

Now 0-3, the Texans are already a full three games behind the undefeated Colts for first place in the AFC South. With minimal margin for error over the next 14 games, time is simply running out on Houston to salvage its season — and unless its maligned offensive line begins to rapidly jell, it may already be too late.