Texans Embarrass Steelers In 30-6 Loss
TEXANS EMBARRASS STEELERS IN 30-6 LOSS —The Pittsburgh Steelers suffered an embarrassing 30-6 loss at the hands of the rebuilding Houston Texans. After rolling off two straight wins, they were handily defeated by a Texans team that outplayed them in every phase of the game.
Steelers’ Offense Completely Lost in Houston
Everything seemed to be lining up perfectly for a Steelers team searching for its third win in a row. They faced a rookie quarterback with C.J. Stroud and an injury depleted offensive line. T.J. Watt and company were set up to do business.
Instead, they left Houston embarrassed and bruised. Quarterback Kenny Pickett, tight end Pat Freiermuth and left tackle Dan Moore Jr. all left the game with injuries and did not return.
The Steelers’ inconsistent to nonexistent offense returned in glorious fashion. Led by the dynamic duo of Pickett and offensive coordinator Matt Canada the offense combined for a whopping 53 first half yards.
At this point, it is hard to decipher who is more to blame between the two. Pickett is flat-out struggling and Canada’s offense has zero imagination.
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Defense Breaks Down
The Steelers defense decided to help the dismal cause by playing their worst game of the season. The Texans took the game’s opening kickoff and marched down the field for 69 yards on 12 plays. Stroud hit Nico Collins for a two-yard touchdown pass. Stroud finished with 16-of-30 for 306 yards. He tossed two touchdown passes and never got sacked in the game.
Houston offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik ran a solid gameplan with Stroud, keeping the rookie quarterback clean and efficient. Collins came up big as well with 168 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
The Steelers were looking to start a second half rally as they were down 16-6 late in the 3rd quarter. Facing a 4th and 1 in Texans territory Canada decided to put Pickett in the shotgun where he bailed early resulting in a sack and the injury. It is a scene that is way too familiar from this offense.
Steelers running back Najee Harris was the lone bright spot for the offense rushing for 71 yards on 14 carries for a 5.1-yard average.
Can The Steelers Right the Ship?
The Steelers go into this AFC North showdown against the division leading Baltimore Ravens with more questions than answers. They have won five of six against Baltimore and have historically played well against Lamar Jackson. But the offense’s issues haven’t left anyone in Pittsburgh feeling confident.
It is obvious to most observers that this offense is elementary at best. Pickett has not made the leap in his second year that most anticipated, and Canada has earned criticism every week. Coach Mike Tomlin has major decisions to make between next week and the upcoming bye week. Tomlin punted on any decisions publicly, as the only change he announced at the team’s weekly press conference was that the Steelers would spend an extra day in pads during practice.
Something has to change, because after this week’s performance, the Steelers look lost while the Texans are on the rise.
