2. Will Anderson Jr. and the Texans' defensive front are starting to hit their stride.
You will be hard-pressed to find anyone who thinks the Texans are a defensive powerhouse. However, they have a young nucleus in place that should improve as the 2023 season progresses.
In particular, their pass rush flashed against the Jacksonville Jaguars. While it's true that they couldn't get to Trevor Lawrence once, the defensive front frequently rattled him and forced him to throw sooner than he would've liked.
So far, the Texans have logged just three sacks and 24 pressures but they should make strides against a below-average Pittsburgh offensive line. In particular, left guard Isaac Seumalo and left tackle Dan Moore have struggled to hold ground. As recently as Week 2, Dan Moore had a Pro Football Focus passing-blocking grade of 3.5.
So far, Kenny Pickett has been brought down eight times this season while the Texans' pass rush is picking up steam. Defensive end Will Anderson Jr., the third overall pick in this year's draft, has already proved his worth.
He was responsible for blocking a Jaguars' field goal in Week 3. Sure, the play came on special teams, but he also showed his playmaking prowess against the Miami Dolphins when he sacked Tua Tagovailoa and forced him to fumble. Tagovailoa ultimately recovered the ball but the Phins lost yardage in that drive and put him in an uncomfortable third-and-long situation.
.@will_anderson28 is the first Texans rookie to block a field goal since @JJWatt in 2011 🦾 pic.twitter.com/XtDmh99F6F
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) September 24, 2023
The Houston pass rush has displayed flashes in previous games. They should be able to take Pickett down a couple of times and build consistency in Week 4.