5 Steelers surprises in Sunday’s loss against the Texans
Each week our SCU staff and contributors picks the “surprises” from the Pittsburgh Steelers latest matchup. Check out more below to see which plays and situations surprised us the most!
On Sunday the Pittsburgh Steelers traveled to Houston for their Week 4 matchup at NRG Stadium against the Texans.
The Steelers dropped to a 2-2 record with a 30-6 loss. Here are some of the surprises from that game.
4th and 1
For what was a struggling Steelers offense (to say the least) this play encapsulated everything that’s wrong with the 2023 team thus far this season.
Following a Chris Boswell 23-yard field goal after failing to punch the ball into the endzone on the previous drive, the Steelers closed within ten points, down 16-6 with roughly five minutes remaining in the third quarter. The defense had done its job, forcing the Texans into a four-play drive and punting, potentially setting up the final Steelers offensive series before the fourth quarter with a chance to close the game to within a one-possession score.
A fumble would set the Steelers at the 50-yard line for a 3rd-and-18 try, with QB Kenny Pickett finding WR George Pickens on a pass play which fell one yard short of a first down. The Steelers, at the Houston 33-yard line, were in a tough spot: punting doesn’t help the field position battle and a field goal try would be from 51 yards.
The Steelers would call a timeout as the staff discussed what to do next. Seeing as they had a backup punter holding for field goal tries, they came out of the break and… into a shotgun formation.
Forgive my bluntness, but is this all offensive coordinator Matt Canada could come up with after a timeout?! The play was doomed from the start – why not get up on the line of scrimmage and attempt a quarterback sneak, which had already worked earlier in the game?
I can only surmise the team tried to outsmart themselves, with TE Connor Heyward now in for the injured Pat Freiermuth – and Jaylen Warren having lost two yards on a previous 3rd-and-1 play. What ensued was the worst-case scenario, the Steelers turnover the ball on downs as Kenny Pickett gets sacked – and injured.
Pickett was immediately ruled out with a knee injury and his short-term future is now up in the air, due to this play call.
Giving up 30
Pittsburgh entered Sunday’s game as three point favorites, which is insulting with the way the game played out. For those who wanted to shake up their sports betting experience and try something different, they may have noticed White Hat Studios is now offering its selection of games at Unibet PA Online Casino. But that couldn’t have prepared anyone for how the Steelers defense allowed the Texans to have their way with them on Sunday.
The Steelers gave up 30 total points, while rookie QB C.J. Stroud passed for over 300 yards (306) and two touchdowns, with no interceptions.
Houston had 24 first downs and 451 net yards of offense. This is not what anyone expected Pittsburgh’s defense to play like heading into last weekend, because…
No sacks
It gets worse. A Houston team playing almost entirely with backups on their offensive line didn’t give up a single sack to Pittsburgh in this game.
You read that correctly: rookie C.J. Stroud, who was sacked 11 times in his first two games, roamed free. This is in spite of September’s Defensive Player of the Month T.J Watt and Week 2’s AFC Defensive Player of the Week Alex Highsmith being on the Steelers’ side.
Words cannot describe how disappointing this stat line is. Zero sacks. Nada. Zilch. Zero. ON BACKUPS!
Brad Wing
If there was any area of true concern heading into Sunday’s game it was the Steelers signing and then elevating punter Brad Wing from the practice squad to play in place of the injured Pressley Harvin.
Wing, who hadn’t played in an NFL game since December 2017, could’ve been a liability not only in the punting game but as prefaced earlier, the kicking game as well (as a holder).
Wing wasn’t either, as the Steelers would convert both of their field goal attempts, while the punter booted three different punts 50-plus yards. (The surprise is, he may be an improvement over Harvin.)
Injuries
Not a good surprise at all. If a healthy Steelers team is struggling this poorly, imagine one without several key starters.
Kenny Pickett highlights the injuries from Sunday, with an undisclosed knee injury which could reportedly keep him sidelined 1-3 weeks. There is some optimism he could play on Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens. However, knowing Mike Tomlin, and with a Week 6 bye, we shouldn’t expect to see Pickett this weekend.
TE Pat Freiermuth also left the game and is expected to miss 1-3 weeks with a hamstring injury. His injury appears to be more serious than Pickett’s, so his participation is also unlikely Sunday.
LT Dan Moore Jr. left the game, giving way to rookie Broderick Jones. There was no specified time given for Moore’s return.
The Steelers were also without P Pressley Harvin, RG James Daniels, WR Diontae Johnson, and DE Cameron Heyward. The latter two were already on Injured Reserve, so their return is imminent, but the number of players sitting on the sideline is starting to pile up and make it more difficult for the team to combat the adversity they’re currently facing.
