The winless Houston Texans will face the 2-0 Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday afternoon in Pittsburgh. The Steelers lead the all-time series 4-2 and have won four out of the last five games. The Texans’ losses came at the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs and the Baltimore Ravens, both of which have two of the leagues most talented quarterbacks.
Houston Texans
The Texans enter Week 3 following a 33-16 loss to Baltimore last week. If the Texans are going to have any chance at turning the page on their winless season the offensive line will have to do a much better job at protecting quarterback Deshaun Watson. Watson has been sacked eight times in the last two weeks, four times in each game, and took numerous hits each week.
Offense
Watson completed 25 of 36 passes for 275 yards, one touchdown, and an interception for a rating of 89.5. Watson is one of three quarterbacks with 15 or more rushing touchdowns since 2017. (Josh Allen and Dak Prescott)
David Johnson, who was traded from Arizona as part of the DeAndre Hopkins trade, has rushed for 111 yards on 22 carries with one touchdown this season.
Duke Johnson ranks third among running backs in catches and receiving yards, but missed last week’s game and is listed as questionable for this week. Kenny Stills joins Johnson on the injury list as questionable.
Brandin Cooks recorded five receptions and posted the team-high 95 yards in Week 2; Randall Cobb also posted five catches for 59 yards, and Jordan Akins led the team with seven receptions and 55 yards.
Darren Fells had his 18th-career receiving touchdown against the Ravens and has eight receiving touchdowns since 2019 which is the third-most among tight ends.
Defense
J.J. Watt will take to the field this week against his brothers T.J. Watt and Derek Watt. In Week 2 against the Ravens, J.J. posted two sacks and a pass deflection, which was his 26th game with two or more sacks. He also has 98 sacks in his career, tied for the 2nd most in the league since 2011.
Charles Omenihu posted his fourth career sack last week against Baltimore and Zach Cunningham led the team with 15 tackles and a sack in Week 2. Benardrick McKinney is second behind Cunningham in total tackles for the season with 17 and 1.5 tackles for loss.
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers come into Week 3 with a 2-0 record after defeating Denver last week 26-21. The Steelers have played well on both sides of the ball and are looking for their third consecutive victory in hopes of setting the tone for the season.
Offense
Veteran quarterback Ben Roethlisberger completed 29 of 41 passes for 311 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception for a 98.7 rating against the Broncos in Week 2. In five career games against Houston, he has eight touchdowns and one interception for a 111.9 rating which is his second-highest rating against any opponent in a minimum of five games.
James Conner rushed the ball for 106 yards and a touchdown in Week 2, which was his sixth game with 100 or more rushing yards and a rushing touchdown and is tied for the third-most in the AFC. Conner also has posted a touchdown in the last six games at home which is the second-longest streak in the league. (Dalvin Cook)
JuJu Smith-Schuster posted a season-high seven receptions for 48 yards last week and Diontae Johnson led the team with eight receptions for 92 yards and a touchdown in Week 2. They are two of three AFC wide receivers with six or more catches in both games this season.
Benny Snell has posted more than 90 yards from scrimmage in two of the last three games and rookie, Chase Claypool, posted an 84-yard touchdown catch last week. Claypool made league history with the catch when it became the longest touchdown from scrimmage by a Canadian-born player.
Defense
T.J. Watt posted 2.5 sacks last week against Denver which was also his sixth game with two or more sacks. He has recorded 15 sacks in the last 11 home games.
Bud Dupree recorded a sack and a forced fumble in Week 2 and has posted a sack and forced fumble in the last two of three home games.
Tremaine Edmunds put a sack and a pass deflection on the books against Denver and Mike Hilton posted eight tackles, one sack, a pass deflection, and a fumble recovery last week.
Game Info
Date: September 27, 2020
Time: 1:00 P.M. est
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Stadium: Heinz Field
TV Info: CBS
Betting Odds Sponsored by Jazz Sportsbook
Point Spread: Hou,+4.5 (-110), Pit, -4.5 (-110)
Moneyline: Hou, +175, Pit, -215
Over/Under: 45.5, -110
Pittsburgh more than likely will run through Houston’s defense and put at least three or four touchdowns on the board. Houston should make it to the endzone twice, so the over would be likely in this game.
Prediction:
The Texans are going to try and make a comeback this week and secure their first victory of the season, however, the Steelers’ defense will outlast the Texans offense and Houston will go 0-3.
Final Score: Houston Texans 20 – Pittsburgh Steelers 31
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Main Credit Image: Embed from Getty Images
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