Preview of the Texans, Steelers MNF match up.
Oct 9, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt (99) and safety Kendrick Lewis (21) react in the fourth quarter against the Indianapolis Colts at NRG Stadium. The Colts defeated the Texans 33-28. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Your Houston Texans face off on Monday Night Football against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field tonight in what could be a wet slog of a match. Weather forecast is calling for a real chance of rain this evening in the Pittsburgh area. It will be a cold, wet, breezy affair that will test both teams. I don’t buy the myth that dome teams are at a disadvantage due to weather. It’s about execution, plain and simple. The Texans if you’ll recall played the Bears in mud match back in 2012 and won.
Assuming the weather isn’t worst case tonight, in which all bets are off in terms of what to expect, what can we expect from these two teams? Both Houston and Pittsburgh are sitting at 3-3. Both have struggled to be consistent and both teams are coming off hard losses. Houston’s advantage is they having played since the previous Thursday. Pittsburgh has the motivation to prove their trouncing by the Browns was a fluke.
This game could very well be decided by the end of the 1st quarter much like the Texans last two losses. If Big Ben get’s rolling and the Texans offense repeatedly goes three and out well we’ve seen what that ends like. The Texans offensively have to find that groove they seem to get into in the third quarter on the very first snap of the game. I don’t know if O’Brien has to make them do laps before the game or what, but coming out flat again is unacceptable. Defensively the Texans must know the Steelers first line of thought is “find the man deep”. The secondary has been poor in defending the deep passes and while the Steelers aren’t Colts in terms of personnel don’t doubt the arm of Roethlisberger. He can make a team pay for mistakes.
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To that end, look for the Texans to shake things up offensively in terms of play calling. We’ve seen the 5 wide spread disaster, we’ve seen the run the ball not work. What we haven’t seen is a sustained tight end attack. Look for Garrett Graham and C.J. Fiedorowicz early and often to get the chains moving between carries by Arian Foster. That’s the smart bet on what the Texans do to get the offense out of this first quarter funk.
That this game means. For the Texans it’s about getting back to winning. Losses to Dallas and Indianapolis hurt, with the Colts win over the Bengals Sunday the Texans need this win to stay on pace if they have any hope of taking the AFC South. While a loss isn’t the end of the world, next week they face off with the artists formerly known as the Houston Oilers (RIP) and must win that game. Mainly because they are AFC South rivals and they are honor bound to defeat the team that dared leave Houston. Of course, I feel that way every time the Titans play, and root for their opponents… even the Cowboys.
If it rains, 16-10 Texans. Clear but cold night, 23-17 Texans. Either way, Go Texans!
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