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What we learned: They're committed to establishing the run, even when it's not working. David Johnson ran 13 times for 23 yards on first and second down in Houston's loss to the Steelers. According to The Athletic's Aaron Reiss, the Texans averaged 11.3 yards to go on third down -- their highest average in a game since 2003. Per Next Gen Stats, Johnson ranked 29th out of 30 backs in rushing yards over expectation. Deshaun Watson came out hot, and Houston scored three touchdowns in the first half. But the second half was a disaster with three three-and-outs and a bad Watson interception. The good news for the Texans is their defense was competitive, and their offensive line held up well. Plus, they haven't played a division game yet, so there's time to make up ground. But 0-3 is a tough hole to dig out of.

They've faced a brutal schedule to open the season. At 0-3, they are in a big hole and the defense isn't very good. Can they rebound?

They also started 0-3 in 2018 ... and wound up winning AFC South. That's probably not attainable in 2020, but a wild-card berth in expanded postseason field is realistic with the Chiefs/Ravens/Steelers gauntlet past and all of Houston's divisional games still ahead.

What we got wrong: Deshaun Watson would be sacked the fewest number of times of his career.

For the first time under head coach Bill O'Brien, the Texans brought all five starting offensive linemen back. Between that consistency and left tackle Laremy Tunsil having a full season in Houston under his belt, the Texans anticipated they would finally be able to protect their franchise quarterback. That has not been the case through three games. Watson has been sacked 13 times, the second most in the NFL. -- Sarah Barshop

Another dispiriting setback for Houston, which sits at 0-3 after a 28-21 loss to the Steelers. The same issues continue to haunt Bill O'Brien's Texans: They can't protect the quarterback, they struggle to run the football, they can't stop the run and they don't force turnovers (zero through three games). Yes, their losses have come to the Chiefs, Ravens and Steelers (Nos. 1, 3 and 4 in these rankings), but this early litmus test tells us how far Houston is from legitimate contender status. Deshaun Watson finished the first half 14 of 18 for 202 yards and two TDs, but the offense was held to just 51 yards and two first downs over in the final two quarters.