The Houston Texans are 0-3 after another close loss, falling 19-17 to the Indianapolis Colts this Sunday. Houston managed only 223 total yards and 17 points despite forcing three turnovers.
The Texans recorded 54 offensive snaps compared to 71 defensive snaps as provided by analyst Aaron Wilson via X. That gap reflects how much time the defense spent on the field while the offense struggled to sustain drives.
Houston now turns its focus toward the Dallas Cowboys in Week 4. Before looking ahead, the Texans’ Week 3 snap counts show which players were trusted with the most work and where the coaching staff leaned after several injuries.
Offensive Snaps
Aireontae Ersery, Blake Rutledge, Trent Brown, Wyatt Teller and Evan Brown each played all 54 offensive snaps, while C.J. Stroud also played 54. Kayshon Boutte led the wide receivers with 37 snaps (69%), followed by Jared Wayne with 33 (61%) and Xavier Hutchinson with 29 (54%). Foster Moreau led the tight ends with 31 snaps (57%), while Dalton Schultz played 29 and Cade Stover 24.
Rookie Marlin Klein saw only four offensive snaps. David Montgomery played 34 snaps (63%), while Woody Marks logged 20 (37%). Jaylin Noel played 14 and Lewis Bond nine, showing how spread out Houston’s receiver rotation remained without Nico Collins.
Stroud finished 16-of-27 for 167 yards and one touchdown without throwing an interception. He was also sacked three times as Houston finished with only 223 total yards and 70 rushing yards. Through three games, Stroud has 794 passing yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions, but the offense has scored only 53 points.
Defensive Snaps
Houston’s defensive starters carried a heavy workload. Jalen Pitre, Kamari Lassiter, Calen Bullock, Derek Stingley Jr. and Jake Hansen each played all 71 defensive snaps. Reed Blankenship played 62 snaps (87%), while Will Anderson Jr. played 57 (80%) and Danielle Hunter played 56 (79%).
Azeez Al-Shaair played 54 snaps (76%), but his injury opened the door for rookie Wade Woodaz, who played 17 snaps (24%). Mario Edwards played 21 snaps before leaving with a foot injury, with Jaden Crumedy taking 14 snaps. Houston’s defense produced its best individual performance through Anderson, but the unit could not close the game after the offense finally took a 17-16 lead.
Anderson made those opportunities count. He finished with 2.5 sacks, one forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and seven tackles, giving Houston a disruptive presence throughout the game.
The defense has generally given Houston opportunities through three games, even as the record sits at 0-3. Houston has recorded 10 sacks and three takeaways in the regular season, while allowing 75 points.
Against Indianapolis, however, the unit spent too much time on the field and ultimately allowed the Colts to drive into range for Spencer Shrader’s winning 53-yard field goal.
