What's going on with the previously top-ranked defense in the NFL?

Obviously, it's a serious situation for Ryans to make a dramatic change like this one. Being the boss means having the responsibility for the big-picture direction of the football team.

“It’s a tough decision to make," Ryans said. "As a head coach, I have a lot of tough decisions I have to make. My decisions are not always a popular opinion. I’m not in this role to please a lot of people’s opinion. I have to do what’s best for this team and make sure I’m leading in that way, and unfortunately everybody isn’t happy when you make changes, when you make decisions from my chair, everybody isn’t happy.

"And that’s OK because I know everything that I try to do and strive to do is for the men in that locker room. To give those guys the best chance possible to go out and win our first football game.”

Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott led the offense to four touchdown drives in the second half.

The Texans lost in a familiar manner.

The Texans allowed a seven-play, 96-yard touchdown drive to Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills at the end of a season-opening loss. Texans cornerback Kamari Lassiter dropped a potential game-sealing interception. On the next play, he allowed the game-winning touchdown.

Two weeks ago on the road, the Indianapolis Colts won the game on a kick from Spencer Shrader's range after quarterback C.J. Stroud led a touchdown drive to gain a late lead.

The Cowboys answered after a Woody Marks touchdown run gave the Texans a shortlived lead to cap a nine-play, 87-yard touchdown drive that appeared to position the Texans for their first victory. Prescott and the Cowboys marched 74 yards for the touchdown.

Have the Texans' schemes gone stale? Have teams figured out a game plan heavily centered on pressure from a front headlined by Anderson and Pro Bowl defensive end Danielle Hunter?

"A couple of things I would say is teams attack us differently than how we got attacked last year," Anderson said. "Some of the game plans that we put in, sometimes, what we may have played last year, may not be playing this year. Sometimes that's how the communication can get messed up a little bit.

"Ultimately, it's just being a man and saying, 'I missed that call, bro. One of us didn't relay the call to somebody else, so they're thinking they're playing something else.' For us, it's just holding each other accountable, making sure that we're all getting the call and making sure that we're all on the same page."

The Texans have just one interception this season after forcing 29 takeaways last season.They have three takeaways overall this season.

Last year, they intercepted 19 passes and recovered 10 fumbles.

“When turnovers happen, they come in bunches," Ryans said. "I know that's cliche, but I have to say it a lot, but you look at the game this past week, we attacked the throwing arm of the quarterback three times and three times the ball goes up and they come down with the completion. I've never seen that happen. Sometimes the ball has to kind of fall your way and it's coming. We're getting back to our style, our brand of football. If we keep attacking the ball, it'll keep coming.

"The way our defensive line is getting after the quarterbacks, we're getting the ball out. We just have to find a way to scoop it up, find a way when those balls are in the air, ‘Can we go get it?’ Expect Calen to get back to flying around, playing center field, like you know how to play center field and making big plays. That's who you are, I expect you to get back to being that guy.”

The shift to Ryans could simplify the equation and allow the defense to play more instinctively. Accountability is the watchword.

"I think it lets us go out there and play fast," Bullock said. "No confusion, go out there and make plays. We had to be better on communicating, everybody be on the same page and no confusion.

"He holds us to a standard. He wants us to be locked in. So, if he's calling us out, he's not just calling us out for no reason. It's something we're doing wrong. We understand why he's calling us out. Nobody takes it the wrong way. He trusts us, he believes in us and he knows we can make plays. We take that and try to be better."

Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL insider for KPRC 2 and Sports Talk 790. His YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@AaronWilsonSport

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