HOUSTON — The Houston Texans have been forced to play from behind so often it’s amazing they’re 3-2 and tied for first place in the AFC South with Indianapolis going into their Thursday night game at NRG Stadium.

In coach Bill O’Brien’s first season, the Texans have become notoriously slow starters. They’ve trailed in the first half of every game other than the 30-17 victory at Oakland.

In their 20-17 overtime loss at Dallas, they had to rally with 10 points down the stretch to tie it in regulation.

The Texans have averaged 7.6 points in the first half, third-fewest in the NFL to Oakland (4.25) and Tampa Bay (5.40).

In their last three games, in which they’ve compiled a 1-2 record, the Texans have scored seven points in the first half.

“That’s something we have to look at,” quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick said. “In looking at these last few games and how we’ve really struggled in the first half, we’ve put some stuff together in the second half. Evaluating that and why we’re getting off to slow starts, I think that’s going to be big for us.”

The Texans seem to play better in their up-tempo offense, but they have been unable to make it work consistently.

“The up-tempo is great,” Fitzpatrick said. “But we have to get first downs. If you’re going three-and-out, it’s hard to get in the up-tempo. Whether it’s being successful on first or second down or converting on third down, that’s all part of it.

“That’s been one of our issues, not being able to get to up-tempo because of our struggles early on.”

In the loss to the Cowboys, Fitzpatrick was 8-of-9 for 93 yards in the fourth quarter, leading the Texans on field-goal and touchdown drives to force overtime.

“For this offense to get better, I have to play better,” he said. “I met with coach O’Brien and went over some stuff and talked through some things. I’m just constantly evaluating myself as a player, evaluating what I’m doing, plays that we’re getting in and all that stuff with the tools that we have on offense.

“A lot of it is not necessarily the physical part of it; it’s the mental part of it. It’s the confidence. It’s the swagger. I have to continue to, especially early in the game, play better, maybe play with more confidence. Maybe some of that is up-tempo, but some of that, for me, is just finding a better way to get going early.”

Offensive tackle Duane Brown said fast starts begin up front.

“We have to be more physical up front to get started quicker,” Brown said. “We have to get in sync. It takes guys a few plays to get in rhythm. We need to bring a physical element right away.”

O’Brien is responsible for calling the plays.

“This is something we’re working extremely hard on,” the coach said. “We’re thinking of different ways to improve the tempo of our offense, whether it’s shortening the play call or getting the play call in faster or the players getting to the line of scrimmage faster, maybe going right to the ball.

“Maybe huddling and getting to the ball faster from the huddle. We’re definitely thinking of ways to pick up the tempo.”

Running back Arian Foster said he knows the solution to the problems the Texans experience early in games.

“We have a lot of self-inflicted wounds,” he said. “We have penalties to start out drives and start out games. We can’t start out first-and-15 or second-and-long. You have to stay on schedule as an offense.

“That’s part of what being a good third-down team is and part of what being a good, efficient offense is. We have to stay in manageable situations, and that’s on us.”

REPORT CARD VS. COWBOYS

PASSING OFFENSE: D-plus — Ryan Fitzpatrick threw one interception on which Arian Foster ran the wrong route. He didn’t have a touchdown pass. With the exception of the fourth quarter when he was 8-of-9 for 93 yards, he didn’t play well. Slow starts have become routine. He was protected well for most of the game and wasn’t sacked.

RUSHING OFFENSE: A — Arian Foster carried 23 times for 157 yards and two touchdowns. He averaged 6.8 yards a carry. He also caught two passes for 15 yards, including a fourth-down, 14-yard reception when the Texans were rallying in the fourth quarter to force overtime. The run blocking improved dramatically from the previous week.

PASS DEFENSE: C — The Texans allowed Tony Romo to throw for 324 yards and two touchdowns. He threw a couple up for grabs that his receivers made great catches on. The Texans got good pressure on him about half the time even though they registered only one sack.

RUSH DEFENSE: C-minus — DeMarco Murray had to carry 31 times to get his 136 yards, an average of 4.4 yards per carry. His longest run was 17 yards. He got hit a lot.

SPECIAL TEAMS: C — The punt team forced a fumble, but the offense didn’t capitalize. They also allowed a 38-yard return that set up a short field on a touchdown drive. Coverages were average. Punter Shane Lechler had a 46.6-yard gross but only a 35.1-yard net.

COACHING: B-minus — The Texans were six-point underdogs and they took the Cowboys to overtime. On third-and-2 at midfield in overtime, head coach Bill O’Brien should have given Arian Foster the ball. Instead, he went with an empty backfield and tried to have Ryan Fitzpatrick throw to Foster, who lined up wide. Bad call. Bad play. Game over.