Houston Texans: 2020 schedule predictions and breakdown

Week 3: Houston Texans at Pittsburgh Steelers

This game will mark the first time that J.J. Watt plays both of his brothers at the same time, as Derek Watt recently teamed up with T.J. in Pittsburgh. By then, J.J. will be fully recovered from his pectoral injuries and ready to wreak havoc.

However, the Steelers will also bring back their entire offense that misseed most of last year, including quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, wide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster and running back James Conner. Being that coach Mike Tomlin almost took this team to the playoffs with Mason Rudolph at the helm, it will be hard to envision them not returning to the upper echelon of the AFC at full strength.

In terms of how these teams stack up, the Steelers are pass-heavy and the Texans secondary is not in great shape. After re-signing Bradley Roby to lead the corner unit alongside Justin Reid at safety, question marks plague the rest of the group.

Safety Tashaun Gipson was released, and the battle between Gareon Conley and Lonnie Johnson is as important as any other spot on the roster. No one wants to admit it, but this brutal stretch of games may very likely lead to an 0-3 hole for the second time in three years.

Prediction: Steelers 28, Texans 27 (Houston Record: 0-3)

Week 4: Minnesota Vikings at Houston Texans

This game might be the turning point of the season in Houston, as almost no teams can possibly escape a 0-4 hole and turn it into a playoff berth. The Vikings similarly traded away their top receiver this offseason and subsequently replaced Stefon Diggs with LSU standout Justin Jefferson. The main stigma against quarterback Kirk Cousins is that he never lives up to his contract against strong competition or in prime time games, though Cousins silenced his critics with a road playoff victory against the Saints last season.

With that being said, they had to purge their defensive group in order to get their team under the cap. Some of their major losses include Xavier Rhodes, Everson Griffen, Linval Joseph, Mackensie Alexander, Trae Waynes, and Andrew Sendejo. If the Texans can put pressure on Cousins, limit Dalvin Cook’s explosive plays and get their offense cooking against a depleted secondary, they can win their first game of the year.

Prediction: Texans 24, Vikings 20 (Houston Record: 1-3)