Houston Texans have lost all four games, including Sunday’s 34-30 defeat to the Dallas Cowboys. Although the team has been competitive in three of those losses, late-game failures have turned winnable games into another loss. Now they travel to Nashville to face the 0-4 Tennessee Titans on Sunday.
It is a critical AFC South matchup. A win would not erase the rough start, but it could give Houston some momentum. The Texans have also won all three previous meetings with Tennessee under DeMeco Ryans, giving them another reason for confidence.
The Texans, however, have been here before, when they started 0-3 in 2025 and recovered to make the playoffs. Regardless, let’s now look at the Houston players that have been standout performers to some extend through four weeks.
Jalen Pitre
Safety Pitre has already made his mark in Houston’s young history. His 391 career tackles moved him past former Texans linebacker Morlon Greenwood for 10th place in franchise history. He has 21 tackles through four games this season, including nine against Dallas in Week 4, his best game of the year by total tackles. He also has four passes defended.
The 2026 numbers have not been spectacular, but Pitre remains one of the Texans’ most active defenders. His nine tackles against Dallas came on a night when the defense badly needed more players making plays in space.
C.J. Stroud
One of Houston’s biggest positives so far has been their quarterback. Stroud has quietly answered many of the questions that followed him into the season. Against Dallas in Week 4, he completed 21 of 31 passes for 347 yards and two touchdowns, with no interceptions. It was his sixth career game with at least 300 passing yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions.
Through four games, Stroud has 1,141 passing yards, five touchdowns and zero interceptions, along with a 95.9 passer rating. His Week 4 performance was easily his best game of 2026 by passer rating, finishing at 126.7. His 347 yards were also a season high.
Nico Collins
Big-play receiver back in action. Collins missed two games with a hamstring injury, but he made an immediate impact in his Week 4 return against Dallas. He caught seven passes for 118 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 16.9 yards per catch. Both of Stroud’s touchdown passes went to Collins.
Collins now has 14 receptions for 193 yards and three touchdowns in his two games this season. His Week 4 performance was his best of the year in both receiving yards and touchdowns. He also became the first Texans player since Tank Dell in 2023 to record at least 100 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns in one game.
His return matters. Houston’s offense looked far more dangerous with its No. 1 receiver back on the field.
Ka’imi Fairbairn
Fairbairn has been busy during Houston’s difficult start. He has made 7 of 8 field-goal attempts this season, including three from 50-plus yards, for an 87.5% field-goal rate. His longest make is 58 yards.
His Week 4 game against Dallas was another strong outing. Fairbairn made three field goals, including a 58-yarder. It was the 11th game of his career with at least three 50-plus-yard field goals, the most such games by a kicker since 2017.
In a season when Houston’s offense has sometimes struggled to finish drives, Fairbairn has provided valuable points.
Jake Hansen
Linebacker Hansen has emerged as a breakout defensive performer. He produced one of the more surprising individual performances of Week 4. Against Dallas, he recorded 12 tackles and one sack, becoming the first Texans player since 2021 to reach those numbers in a single game.
Hansen was also the only NFL player that week to record at least 12 tackles and a sack, according to the Texans’ Week 5 notes. Through four games, Hansen has 24 total tackles, including 12 solo tackles, and one sack.
His 12 tackles against Dallas remain his best game of the season. Hansen’s production is particularly useful with Houston dealing with injuries at linebacker.
Will Anderson Jr.
Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
Still producing! Anderson remains one of the Texans’ most dangerous pass rushers. He has 4.5 sacks through four games, tied for third in the NFL, along with 26 quarterback pressures and seven tackles for loss. The Texans’ Week 5 notes also list him second in tackles for loss and third in quarterback pressures.
His best game came in Week 3 against Indianapolis, when he recorded 2.5 sacks, seven tackles and three tackles for loss. He followed that with another half-sack and five tackles against Dallas.
Anderson’s individual production shows the bigger problem in Houston. The Texans still have elite talent up front. They just have not played well enough as a complete defensive unit. If Anderson and the rest of the defense can turn their pressure into stops against Tennessee, Houston finally has a chance to turn those close losses into a win.
