The Houston Texans' lowly 0-3 start to the 2026 season has gotten many people talking.
After they had entered this season with expectations of being one of the premier contenders in the AFC, things have instead shifted in the complete opposite direction with an uninspiring performance through the past three weeks-- thus putting the Texans in a pretty deep hole to climb out of for as second straight year.
And of those to spark some conversation on how Houston's start to the new NFL season has gone, that includes Texans Ring of Honor and Pro Football Hall of Fame member Andre Johnson , who recently spoke about some of his feelings from the team's 0-3 start, as well as the play of quarterback C.J. Stroud .
During the Texans' ' Forever H-Town ' red carpet event, Johnson spoke pretty positively of the Stroud-based offense, based on how he's started the season. However, knowing that the team sits in a three-game hole to start the year off, there's certainly work to be done.
"At the end of the day, I like the way C.J.'s been playing," Johnson said. "I think, at the end of the day, it's everybody. It's not just him. Of course, he's the quarterback. So, the quarterback's always gonna get the blame when you win or when you lose. It's always gonna be C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans lost today or C.J. Stroud in the Texans won today.
"So being in that position, it's tough, it just comes with the territory. I think everybody just, as a team, just have to take that look in the mirror and see what they can do better, just as a player, and how they can get better as a player to help the team be successful, because that's what it's about. It's all about the team."
It's a bit of a different tone from Johnson compared to the viral comments he had made about Stroud earlier this season, where he criticized some of his poor body language on the field in certain situation. This time, the Texans' legendary wideout comes to the quarterback's defense.
And that's because Stroud hasn't been put in the most ideal of situations through the Texans' first three games of the new season. Really, it was largely the case last year when Houston fell into a similar three-game skid to start the year.
The defense has remained mostly stout, but on the offensive end, the line up front hasn't been much better than 2025's output. The run game hasn't seen much life since David Montgomery 's three-touchdown day in Week 1. And of course, Stroud hasn't had his No. 1 target in the passing game as Nico Collins has been sidelined with a hamstring injury .
Sep 27, 2026; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) drops back to pass against the Indianapolis Colts in the first half at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
So even if Stroud has been playing relatively well considering the circumstances--mistake-free, making better decisions, showing solid accuracy--the success hasn't been there for the Texans as a collective.
Oftentimes in the NFL, that lack of team success on the offensive side of the ball can be attributed to poor quarterback play. But this season, Houston's early issues have stretched much deeper than that. Clearly, Johnson sees that as well.
This offense has major flaws. And even if Collins' pending return in Week 4 or 5 will give that side of the ball a boost, it remains to be seen if the end result will be much different than what was seen last season.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/texans/onsi as What Texans Legend Andre Johnson Said About 0-3 Start, C.J. Stroud .
