The Houston Texans entered Week 3 as an 8-point underdog but left EverBank Stadium with their first win of the season after beating the Jacksonville Jaguars 37-17. Now, the Texans are looking to start a winning streak when they take on the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. It won't be an easy task though.
The Steelers are coming off a two-game winning streak of his own and have one of the top defenses in the league. C.J. Stroud is off to a hot start to his NFL career but the Houston offensive line doesn't match up favorably against a Pittsburgh defensive front led by outside linebacker T.J. Watt.
That said, it's too early to rule out the Texans just yet. It's true that they've mustered a sole win this year but they have enough pieces in place to pull off the upset. With that in mind, here are three reasons Houston will get their second victory of the year.
3. The Texans offensive line will hold their own vs. the Steelers
The Steelers currently lead the league with 13 sacks and 40 total pressures. Meanwhile, the offensive trenches are arguably Houston's most glaring weakness right now. Then again, they did an outstanding job of keeping CJ Stroud's jersey clean, giving up no sacks.
The level of difficulty will increase considerably on Sunday but the group fared well in Week 3 without left tackle Laremy Tunsil, who's dealing with a knee injury. However, they should be able to build on last week's performance and once again hold their ground.
While it's hard to see Houston fully containing the Steelers' defensive front, they should be able to consistently give Stroud ample time to work his magic.
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.
1. CJ Stroud is having success early on, and will build momentum vs. the Steelers
It's not an overstatement to say that CJ Stroud is exceeding expectations. Even if the Texans were to say they always believed in him, they wouldn't probably have imagined that he would be performing like a vested veteran at this stage of his pro career. In three games, the former Ohio State Buckeye has completed 64.5 percent of his passes for 906 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions.
Those numbers would pop off the stat sheet regardless of who the signal-caller was but they're highly impressive for a rookie that's only got three starts under his belt. That said, Stroud isn't doing it alone.
He's getting help from the Texans' wide receiver corps. Nico Collins, for his part, has made a significant leap in Year 3, hauling in 15 receptions for 260 yards and one trip to the end zone. At this current pace, he should have no trouble shattering the career-best for yards in a season (481) he set in 2022.
Rookie Tank Dell is also showing out, catching 15 passes for 251 yards with two touchdowns in 2023. Against the Jaguars, he put up monster numbers. Sure, his 68-yard touchdown run was the result of blown coverage but Dell deserves praise for making the most of his opponent's mistakes. That's what good players do.
Going back to Stroud, he and the Texans offense should be able to move the ball against a Pittsburgh defense that ranks 22nd in yards allowed heading into Week 4. As noted before, the Steelers' defensive front isn't anything to scuff at but they're vulnerable. If Stroud and his arsenal of weapons seize the opportunity, they will get their first home win of the year.