Official Texans @ Steelers Game Thread, 9/27/2020

[Arky]

The 0-2 Texans head out to Pittsburgh this weekend to play the 2-0 Steelers at Heinz field in an early game. The Steelers beat the Broncos last week at home 26-21 while the Texans were losing at home 33-16 to the Baltimore Ravens. Texan QB Deshaun Watson is usually pretty good coming off a loss but if he has no time to throw the ball, we'll probably be looking at another loss. So far, the chemistry is not good yet with the new receivers. Pittsburgh QB Ben Roethlisberger is mostly healthy and has a good compliment of young receivers led by JuJu Smith-Schuster and 7-year vet TE Eric Ebron, the old man of the group. I expect we will see a lot of Steeler RB James Connor.

The Texans are 2-4 all time vs. Pittsburgh and 1-2 in Pittsburgh. The last time these two met was in Houston, the Texans losing 34-6 on Christmas Day 2017 with a team that would eventually finish 4-12.

I've got the Texans with a better effort here but still not enough:

Steelers 28, Texans 27

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TV = CBS (channel 11 local), noon CST, Sunday, September 27, 2020

Announcers = Ian Eagle, Charles Davis

The line = Steelers by 3½ to 4

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Other Sunday viewing in the Houston area:

FOX (early) = Washington @ Cleveland, Kevin Kugler, Chris Spielman

FOX (late) = Dallas @ Seattle, Joe Buck, Troy Aikman

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Prime time:

TNF = Miami @ Jacksonville (NFLN)

SNF = Green Bay @ New Orleans (NBC; Mike Tirico, Cris Collinsworth)

MNF = Kansas City @ Baltimore (ESPN)

[HPF Bob]

Looking at the schedule, I think the Texans will be 1-7 or 2-6 by mid-season.

Will it be enough to get O'Brien fired?

Squealers 24, Texans 16.

[chuck]

Originally Posted by chuck

... but with a little luck the Nexans could go into the bye 0-7.

RIF BOB

No, it would not get O'Brien fired. It will be fascinating to see just what does.

[Arky]

Texans don't do much on their first drive.

Steelers get 3 on a 33-yard Boswell FG.

Steelers 3, Texans 0

8:55 left in the 1st qtr.

[Arky]

Watson hits Cobb for the 28-yard TD!

Texans 7, Steelers 3

6:01 left in the 1st qtr.

Texans got down the field fast. 7 plays, 74 yards in 2:54.

[Keith]

Not a good sign seeing Zach Cunningham walking into the locker room after the first quarter.

Questionable to return with unspecified leg injury. Saw him walking, so maybe it isn't too tragic.

UPDATE: He made it back during the Steelers' TD drive midway through the second quarter.

[Arky]

D Johnson runs it in from 2 yards!

Texans 14, Steelers 3

11:32 left in the half.

Texans moving the ball better than the two previous games....

[Arky]

Steelers get a TD, Big Ben to Ebron for 10 yards on 3rd and goal .

Texans 14, Steelers 10

5:05 left in the half.

[Arky]

Big Ben hits JuJu for a 26 yard TD in the waning minutes of the half.

Steelers 17, Texans 14

Texans have 1:14 and 3 timeouts to make something happen....

[Arky]

Nice touch pass to Fuller puts the Texans back on top.

Texans 21, Steelers 17

24 seconds left in the half.

[Keith]

Dang. That has to be one of the more effective 2-min drills of the Bill O'Brien era.

Really enjoying the pass protection begin given to Watson today. Guard play seems to be improved from the first two games.

[Arky]

Watson in the 1st half - 14/18, 202 yds., 2 TDs, 0 INTs, 150.5 rating.

[Arky]

Steelers take the opening drive of the 2nd half and drive down the field but have to settle for a Boswell 26-yard FG.

Texans 21, Steelers 20

9:54 left in the 3rd qtr.

[Arky]

3rd qtr ends with the Texans with the ball at their own 28, 2nd and 10 coming up.

Steeler defense pretty stingy so far this half... Texan run game not functioning....

[Arky]

Connor runs it from 12 for the go ahead TD.

Steelers get the 2 pt conversion on a pass to JuJu.

Steelers 28, Texans 21

6:24 left in the game.

Steeler drive = 12 plays, 79 yards, 7:03

[chuck]

Dalvin Cook is going to run for 200 yards next week. And I’m going to enjoy every single yard.

[Arky]

Steelers bypass a 1st and goal to run out the clock.

Final score:

Steelers 28, Texans 21

[HPF Bob]

Well, they lost but they didn't suck. That's an improvement.

They've probably squandered one of the three games every season where Will Fuller shows up. Coming to halftime, Nuke has 56 yds receiving and no TDs.

Falcons fans have got to be pissed. After building a big lead on Dallas, NextGen Stats said the ATL had a 98% chance of winning...yet they lost. Today, they build a big lead on Da Bears. NextGen Stats again calculated the Falcons had a 98% chance of winning. Again, they lost (despite a TD ripped away from Chicago). So, I've dubbed the Atlanta Falcons the NFL equivalent of Hillary Clinton.

So, Raiders. You're back in Fuxboro 20 years later and David Carr gets hit from behind and fumbles in a play that looks eerily like the infamous "Tuck Rule" play. Patriots recover and go on to win. And NONE of you bring that up to the refs? Not even Gruden? Somewhere, Al Davis is spinning like a rotisserie chicken over this.

The end of the Philly-Cincy OT was enlightening. Philly's at the fringe of field goal range with little time left and are content to just run the ball into the line and prepare for a game-winning 59-yard FG. Then someone on the line jumps, making it a 64-yard attempt. Then they get a delay of game penalty and decide to punt the ball away. Had the Eagles had any fans in the stands, I'm sure they would have booed like crazy. Then Cincy has their final desperate chance and what do they do? Run a handoff. Game ends in a tie.

Oh, and the pass interference gift the refs gave Buffalo at the end of their game? Looks like the Rams are now 1-1 in horrible game-changing pass interference calls, having been the recipients in Week 1 against the Cowbots before being victims against the Bills. And some people still believe the NFL doesn't control the outcome of games.

[chuck]

Originally Posted by HPF Bob

Well, they lost but they didn't suck. That's an improvement.

I know that you're nuts and I know that you're delusional so I point this out for general consumption rather than a retort specifically to you:

In the second half the Texans ran 17 plays for 41 yards and 2 first downs and, of course, zero points.

[chuck]

The Nexans are dead last in the league in point differential and margin of defeat. They are worse than the Giants. They are even worse than the Jets, and I don't know how you could go about fielding a worse team than the Jets.