Duel Opinions: What are the keys to beating the Texans?

Each week the Steel City Underground staff will put their brilliant minds to task in order to come up with their keys to the game, or, those players, coaching decisions, or situations which could determine the outcome of the game.

The SCU panel gives their thoughts on Monday’s keys to winning the game.

Eric Herrmann

My key is for nobody to get injured in this game. The Steelers should have no problem beating the Texans. That said, I’m anticipating a Ben Roethlisberger/T.J. Yates shoot-out that will come down to a Chris Boswell game-winning field goal. Does anyone really think the Steelers will make this easy? I don’t care if it’s a pretty win or not, as long as we get the W and finish with a healthy team I’ll be happy.

Joe Kuzma

I second what Eric says: I’d love to see a statement game here by the Steelers, but not at the expense of losing critical pieces for a Super Bowl run. James Conner already went down last week, and that has to weigh in the back of the coaching staff’s mind about not running Le’Veon Bell into the ground.

That’s why a statement game this week (and next week too) would be nice. Get some rust off of guys like Joe Haden and Vance McDonald, but don’t do it at the expense of working in some others. I wouldn’t be opposed to putting Landry Jones, B.J. Finney, Cam Sutton, and others on the field if the score is lopsided. Depth is important and allowing some of the reserves to gain experience is crucial to success. It also helps rest the starters.

So the key here is to get the job done without losing in ways other than the score.

Tina Rivers

After weeks of key analysis, the Steelers need to get on the field and play fundamental, hard-nosed football. They don’t need fancy splash plays. They need to possess the ball on offense and move the chains with the personnel that offers them opportunities to do so. They need the defense to be solid up front and stingy in the backfield. Special teams need to tackle well and pin the Texans. Simple. Perform at the highest level and win.

Brian E. Roach

The Texans are brutally bad. Their offense at this point is essentially DeAndre Hopkins and a prayer that 3rd string QB T.J. Yates can get him the ball. Their offensive line is atrocious and maybe the worst in the league. They lost Nick Martin, who is a rookie with potential, and will be starting a practice squad guy at one of their guard positions.

They only tick upwards for them is that Julian Davenport, who has been injured, should be back. That is the key for them. The Texans should have no chance of doing much because their running game has been so bad. However, if they can manage to run the ball, watch out. That will open Hopkins up and he can hurt a secondary that has been suspect. Hopefully, Joe Haden returns to provide some stability. The Steelers simply need to play solid fundamental football and this game shouldn’t be close.