Battle Red Blog
Houston’s first road Wild Card game in franchise history is upon us. The Texans are bundling up for the game and hopeful playoff run as it will dip just below freezing in Pittsburgh tonight. One of these team’s season will become unbundled; either Houston’s eight-game winning streak will come to an end or Mike Tomlin’s streak of six postseason losses will continue.
I asked the Battle Red Blog writers for their score and predictions for the game. The Steelers faithful blew up our comment section (rightfully so) in the last Groupthink, so be sure provide your predictions in the comment section.
I think the game goes like every Texans game has gone. The offense will spit and sputter, but a defensive score or turnover in Steelers territory sets them up for one score. After that, it is just enough Stroud and Fairbairn to win another nail-biter. Aaron Rodgers starts talking retirement after this one as Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter combine for three of the team’s five sacks.
Even though the Texans are a much more talented team than the Steelers on both sides of the ball, I worry about Houston’s reliance on field goals, Pittsburgh’s dominant defensive line, and Jaylen Warren/Kenneth Gainwell.
The Steelers’ d-line, specifically Cam Heyward, Alex Highsmith, and Nick Herbig, could clog up several of C.J. Stroud’s passing lanes, so (Stroud) will need to be quick and decisive if Houston is hoping to pass the ball to victory.
Running the ball well will almost certainly be out of the question for the Texans against this Steelers front, so Stroud will need to play well and play fast.
On Pittsburgh’s offense, they’ve become very reliant on their RB duo and offensive line to get nice gains on first/second down, or for screen passes. Both backs are short, explosive, and very hard to tackle, so Texans LBs Azeez Al-Shaair and Henry To’oTo’o will need to be on their A-game to prevent any big runs from breaking loose. Ashton Jeanty showed how quickly things can get ugly for Houston’s defense if they aren’t prepared.
Then, there’s kicking in that god-forsaken (or blessed?) stadium. You could argue Ka’imi Fairbairn has been the most impactful player for the Texans this entire season thanks to his bountiful field goals, and they’ll probably need to count on him again since the Steelers defense has a knack to bend but not break. Fairbairn will need to handle odd, unpredictable wind gusts in cold weather, which is not an ideal situation considering how important he is to the game for Houston. As long as they can give him attempt inside of 40-45 yards, Fairbairn should be fine.
As for a final score, I’ll go with Texans 24, Steelers 21. I think both teams with score points off of turnovers, and Houston will pull away in the end thanks to another dominant performance from...
