PITTSBURGH (2-1) at HOUSTON (1-2)
Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT, CBS
OPENING LINE: Steelers by 3, according to FanDuel SportsBook.
AGAINST THE SPREAD: Pittsburgh 2-1; Texans 1-2.
SERIES RECORD: Steelers lead 5-2.
LAST MEETING: Steelers beat Texans 28-21 on Sept. 27, 2020, in Pittsburgh.
LAST WEEK: Steelers beat Raiders 23-18; Texans beat Jaguars 37-17.
STEELERS OFFENSE: OVERALL (27), RUSH (30), PASS (17), SCORING (22).
STEELERS DEFENSE: OVERALL (28), RUSH (31), PASS (22), SCORING (20).
TEXANS OFFENSE: OVERALL (14), RUSH (28), PASS (6), SCORING (18).
TEXANS DEFENSE: OVERALL (16), RUSH (17), PASS (17), SCORING (22).
TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Steelers plus-4; Texans plus-2.
STEELERS PLAYER TO WATCH: LB T.J. Watt. The youngest brother of former Texans great J.J. Watt is carving out his own space in the NFL record books. The younger Watt is the first player since sacks became an official statistic in 1982 to have at least six sacks and score a defensive touchdown in his team’s first three games. Even when he doesn’t get to the quarterback, Watt is making an impact. Twice last week he pressured Las Vegas QB Jimmy Garoppolo into poor throws that ended up in the hands of Steelers defensive backs.
TEXANS PLAYER TO WATCH: WR Tank Dell. The third-round pick from the University of Houston set a rookie franchise record with 145 yards receiving against the Colts. Dell had a 68-yard touchdown reception last week and ranks second among rookies with 251 yards receiving this season.
KEY MATCHUP: Houston QB C.J. Stroud vs. Pittsburgh’s defense. The rookie has gotten better each week and is the first player in NFL history with 906 yards passing, four TDs and no interceptions through his first three games. Now he’ll face a defense that ranks near the bottom of the league in yards allowed, but that has a fierce pass rush that has 13 sacks led by Watt.
KEY INJURIES: Steelers OL James Daniels missed practice this week with a groin injury. … TE Connor Heyward is dealing with an ankle injury. … Texans S Jalen Pitre should return this week after missing two games with a chest injury. … LT Laremy Tunsil is questionable with a knee injury after missing the past two games.
SERIES NOTES: The Steelers have won the past three games in the series. … Houston’s previous win was a 17-10 victory on Oct. 2, 2011. … The Texans won the first meeting in this series when they beat Pittsburgh 24-6 in their inaugural season in 2002.
STATS AND STUFF: The Steelers have won back-to-back games since an ugly loss to San Francisco in Week 1. Pittsburgh has topped 20 points in each of the victories. The Steelers have scored more than 20 points in three consecutive games just once since Matt Canada became offensive coordinator before the 2021 season. … Pittsburgh has thrived in domes under coach Mike Tomlin, going 14-6 in domed stadiums since Tomlin took over in 2007. … The Steelers have thrived in October under Tomlin. Pittsburgh’s .689 winning percentage (42-19) in October since 2007 ranks fourth-highest in the league during that span behind New England, New Orleans and Green Bay. … Pittsburgh’s run defense, gashed in the first two weeks, bounced back against the Raiders. The Steelers limited defending NFL rushing champion Josh Jacobs to 62 yards on 17 carries. … Pittsburgh CB Patrick Peterson’s interception of Garoppolo last week gave him 35 during his career, the most among active players. … Steelers QB Kenny Pickett is coming off the first multiple touchdown pass game of his career. Pittsburgh has made it a point to create more plays downfield this season and already has touchdown passes of 71 and 72 yards. The Steelers had just one offensive touchdown over 31 yards in the entire 2022 season. … The Steelers have won five straight road games going back to last season. … Rookie QBs have had issues when facing Pittsburgh. The Steelers have won 22 of their past 25 games when facing a first-year QB, including nine straight since Dak Prescott led Dallas to a victory at Acrisure Stadium in 2016. … Former Houston star defensive end J.J. Watt will be inducted into the team’s ring of honor in a halftime ceremony Sunday. … WR Nico Collins has had at least 80 yards receiving in two of three games this season. … WR Robert Woods had seven catches for 95 yards in his previous game against Pittsburgh in 2019 with the Rams. … TE Brevin Jordan had his first TD catch of the season last week. … LB Blake Cashman had five tackles, defended two passes, had a fumble recovery and his first career interception last week. … LB Denzel Perryman had an interception in his pervious game against Pittsburgh last season with Las Vegas. … Rookie LB Henry To’oTo’o had 10 tackles and defended a pass last week. … CB Shaquill Griffin had his third career game with 10 or more tackles last week. … S Eric Murray had five tackles and forced a fumble against the Colts.
FANTASY TIP: Dell could be a good pickup after his record-setting performance last week. Stroud raves about his connection with the fellow rookie and will likely look to him often again this week.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
