The 5: Things to watch for when Steelers visit the Texans
The Pittsburgh Steelers (2-1) currently sit atop the AFC North, but they will be in the road in Texas to face the Houston Texans (1-2) in what many are predicting to be a shootout on Sunday, October 1.
This week, we present five things for Steelers fans to watch for in this NFL Week 4 showdown.
High Wattage
Readers have been asking what I’d call the duo of Alex Highsmith and T.J. Watt. The pair have been electric this season. My thought was, “Thunder and Lightning,” with their theme song being the AC/DC classic “Thunderstruck.” But, hey, that’s just me.
Steelers fans have got to be salivating over the fact that the Texans have two key offensive linemen that won’t be on the field Sunday, resulting in Houston being down to essentially their last depth along their offensive front.
That quarterback C.J. Stroud has been sacked 11 times in three games is tantalizing in that it may set both Highsmith and Watt up for another explosive performance in Week 4.
My cohort certainly is all-in on that action:
Tj watt and highsmith on sunday pic.twitter.com/XWgvyEm1HP https://t.co/26elngPmJk
— Zac Celedonia (@ZeFlashNFL) September 27, 2023
A thin Texans D-line
Houston worked out defensive tackles Taylor Stallworth and Trysten Hill on Thursday, signed defensive tackle Michael Dwumfour to the practice squad this week, and have just one defensive lineman on the injury report: defensive end Jonathan Greenard. The Texans are thin along their defensive front, and looking at Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren.
As we know, last week illustrated that, when the playbook is altered and schemes are reworked, the Steelers actually can run the ball.
Breaking away from zone blocking by the line allowed Harris and Warren to get better yardage. Expect Pittsburgh to test the mettle of the Texans’ defensive line with a mix of both running backs, and a possible play or two from Connor Heyward.
JPJ time?
Steelers fans have been relatively patient in their wait to see Joey Porter Jr join the defensive backfield as a starter. The rookie has had flashes in the limited snaps he’s received in the regular season, but has yet to truly emerge.
Stroud is a true gunslinger –Β with 900+ passing yards already this season – and the Steelers will need all hands on deck to keep Tank Dell and Nico Collins from hooking up for big pass-and-catch plays.
Porter may not get the start on Sunday but Week 4 would be a great opportunity to get the rookie more work as the Steelers keep their personnel in the defensive backfield fresh and alternate coverage packages.
Porter faced Stroud in collegiate ball. This week he was asked about his familiarity with the quarterback, including from his teammates, and responded, “I said he is a good quarterback, very accurate with the ball. He knows where he wants to go with it. We just gotta make our opportunities when they present themselves.”
Related content:
- Watch: Kenny Pickett connects with Calvin Austin for 72-yard equalizing touchdown
- NFL Week 4 Scouting Report: Steelers at Houston Texans
A more confident Pickett
The first two weeks had doubters ready to trade quarterback Kenny Pickett away for peanuts. Ok, that’s a little extreme, but Steelers Nation wasn’t seeing the kid who’d led comebacks at the end of the 2022 NFL season and nagging questions crept in.
Pickett got some of his moxie back in Week 3 against the Raiders. If he builds off of that against the Texans, Steelers fans may get quite a show as he dishes the ball to George Pickens, Calvin Austin, Pat Freiermuth and company.
The Texans lost cornerback Derek Stingley Jr to injured/reserved and currently have corner Shaquill Griffin (foot), safety Jalen Pitre (chest), and safety Jimmie Ward trying to get healthy for game time.
Is #Steelers QB Kenny Pickett getting back to basics?
View the full show: https://t.co/y0ANzghkrJ@Joe_Kuzma and @ZeFlashNFL pic.twitter.com/FyCkpVnrmr— π¦ππ²π²πΉ ππΆππ π¨π»π±π²πΏπ΄πΏπΌππ»π± (@steelcityundrgr) September 28, 2023
The biggest question fans have?
Rarely do I simply concede to my compatriots in filling in one of “The 5” but Joe and Brian basically offered up the big question: can the Steelers keep the wins coming? Have a watch as they break down their insights into the upcoming game.
