Sunday’s matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Houston Texans appears to be a layup for the visiting team.
Coming off back to back wins and most recently, a game in which the offense finally showed signs of life, the Steelers are presumed by many to be the victors at NRG Stadium in Houston.
Houston’s offensive line is badly banged up, and former Steeler Kendrick Green is amongst the projected starters in the trenches for the Texans. That, combined with the Steelers fielding one of the best pass rushes in the league against a rookie quarterback in CJ Stroud, are some of the biggest factors tilting towards the Steelers on Sunday.
The Steelers will be seeing Green for the first time since trading him to Houston for a sixth round draft pick in the year 2025. Green, famously, did not have an easy go around in Pittsburgh, and this clip of a very lazy pass rush getting to Stroud anyways has been circulating around Pittsburgh circles to show how Green’s Texans tenure is going to date.
But Pittsburgh should be very wary of this kind of game, for it’s likely the biggest Tomlin trap game on the schedule this season.
This is exactly the kind of game the Steelers should win big in, but would stumble and lose.
We’ve seen it countless times over Tomlin’s tenure as Steelers head coach. As good as he is at keeping his teams competitive and in the playoff race, his teams also often suffer from self-inflicted problems, most notably playing down to opponents.
While yes, it is true that the Steelers should win on Sunday, this new look Houston Texans team is not one that should be take lightly.
CJ Stroud looks like the real deal. In three games so far this year (all starts), Stroud has completed 64.5% of his passes for a total of 906 yards. He’s thrown for 4 touchdowns and 0 interceptions.
That’s leaps and bounds ahead of second year man Kenny Pickett’s current numbers: 59.6% completion percentage, 689 yards, 4 touchdowns and 3 picks.
In fairness to Pickett, you can very easily compare both Pittsburgh and Houston’s offensive coordinators and deduce that Stroud is succeeding because of his coordinator, while Pickett is trying to in spite of his coordinator.
But no matter how you look at it, Houston’s second overall pick in April’s draft has looked great so far, and he is not someone to be looked over.
The same goes for Will Anderson Jr., the Texans’ third overall pick right behind Stroud. Anderson hasn’t yet made the kind of impact that Stroud has, but he’s still someone you need to keep eyes on.
Anderson has 1.0 sacks and 5 quarterback hits. Pittsburgh’s offensive line has had trouble protecting Pickett at times this year, which is something they are going to need to tighten up on a lot as this season rolls on.
Pittsburgh, however, does have the advantage in offensive lines. Given some of the inexperience and definitely the injuries sustained, both TJ Watt and Alex Highsmith should have a field day against that line.
Houston has had a hard time protecting Stroud, allowing 11 sacks against the rookie QB in just three games so far this season. With Watt and Highsmith, as well as Markus Golden and others that the Steelers can set up on the field, that number is likely going to continue to spike.
Much like the Steelers, the Texans haven’t had an easy time running the football. Their leading rusher, Dameon Pierce, has only 100 yards on the ground through three games, averaging 2.5 yards per carry.
Despite some of their struggles on offense, this is a Houston team coming into this game with a lot of confidence. Last week, the Texans did what the Steelers could never do: score more than 30 points in a game. Stroud’s Texans walked into Jacksonville and humbled the Jaguars in a convincing 37-17 game for their first win of the season.
Everything seemed to click for them in that game, and Houston is hoping to continue that momentum against the Steelers.
With Week 5 offering a matchup against the Baltimore Ravens, it’s natural for fans, and maybe even the players, to look past this game and ahead to a divisional rival, where the lead in the AFC North could be at stake.
But it’s incredibly crucial that the Steelers keep their minds focused on Houston. They’re a way more competitive team than they were last season; last week proved they can actually divvy out some punishment if you don’t take them seriously.
Aside from Kendrick Green, new Steeler Desmond King will be meeting his old team as well on Sunday. The veteran defender spent the last two seasons with Houston before finding his way to the Steelers just before the season officially opened. King made his first appearance as a Steeler in Sunday’s win.
(Featured photo by Philip G. Pavely/USA Today Sports)
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