Now is not the time to overreact. Yes, the Pittsburgh Steelers are 2-1 and have won two in a row. But just as you can’t get too low when you are losing, you should never get too high when you are winning.
This week Pittsburgh travels to Houston after a cross-country trip the week before in hopes of extending their win streak to three and beating the Houston Texans. On paper, the Texans are a rebuilding team with a rookie quarterback so the Steelers defense has a significant edge. Nevertheless, we are always cautiously optimistic when it comes to games the Steelers should win.
Buy Steelers TicketsHere are our big concerns for this week.
CJ Stroud is not a typical rookie
Of the three rookie quarterbacks starting this season, Stroud has been the best and is fearless when it comes to slinging it around. Pittsburgh usually has a lot of success against rookie but this one will be more of a challenge.
Dameon Pierce is a wrecking ball
The Texans have struggled to run the ball but much like the Steelers with Najee Harris, Houston’s Dameon Pierce is a bruiser with the potential to have a huge game.
Confidence can be a killer
Head coach Mike Tomlin is careful not to let a win get to his players but some guys are naturally going to let this two-game win streak and quieting the critics get in their heads. These are the types of games historically where the team comes out flat and can get behind early.
Is the coaching better or not?
We do not let defensive coordinator Teryl Austin off the hook and just focus on offensive coordinator Matt Canada when it comes to coaching shortcomings. The Steelers defense still gave up 324 passing yards on Sunday and Houston loves to throw the ball. And Canada is getting something of a pass this week but the run game only mustered 3.4 yards per carry and 44 percent of Kenny Pickett’s passing yards came on two plays.
