![\"HOUSTON,](\"https:\/\/platform.battleredblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2026\/01\/gettyimages-2254637217.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0,0,100,100\")
<\/a><\/p>\nHOUSTON, TEXAS – JANUARY 04: C.J. Stroud #7 of the Houston Texans throws a pass during the first quarter of the game against the Indianapolis Colts at NRG Stadium on January 04, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner\/Getty Images) Getty Images<\/p>\n
Next week, the Texans offense will have the pleasure of facing a menacing front seven that will remind them very much of their own defense, but without the multitudes of ball-hawks in the backfield to scare QB CJ Stroud. Pittsburgh\u2019s #1 CB, Joey Porter Jr. is a decent and lanky defender that should have some success covering Texans WR Nico Collins, but after him\u2026the depth falls off quickly. The only CBs left on the team after Porter are James Pierre and Asante Samuel Jr., who have both had multiple games they\u2019d rather forget about while on the Steelers. Pierre has improved down the stretch, but when Stroud drops back to pass, he should find an open Jayden Higgins, Jaylin Noel, or Dalton Schultz on almost every attempt. At some point or another, either Porter, Pierre, or NB Brandin Echols is going to leave someone wide open downfield, and all Stroud will have to do is stay upright long enough to make the throw.<\/p>\n
At safety, where Jalen Ramsey and Kyle Dugger claim the starting spots, things will be a little more interesting. Dugger was a mid-season acquisition from the New England Patriots, filling in for the injured S DeShon Elliott and excelling on the Steelers with his reckless approach to the game. Although, Dugger isn\u2019t quite the do-it-all secondary player: that honor belongs to Ramsey, who\u2019s ranginess and instinct for the ball has made him Pittsburgh\u2019s version of Jalen Pitre. Stroud avoided throwing toward Ramsey in their lone previous meeting in 2024, when he was a safety for the Miami Dolphins, and I\u2019m curious how Stroud will handle him this year on a new team. Ramsey (and multiple other Steelers DBs) have made a nasty habit of paying too much attention to the line of scrimmage and letting opposing receivers find massive gaps in coverage behind them, which is exactly what almost cost Pittsburgh the game against Baltimore. No doubt, Texans offensive coordinator Nick Caley and the offensive staff noticed those long completions to Ravens WR Zay Flowers, so I\u2019ll be expecting Stroud to dial up a few long passes to Nico Collins or Jaylin Noel – maybe in play-action – where they\u2019ll hope to catch Ramsey sleeping.<\/p>\n
At linebacker is where Houston will find the Steelers\u2019 weakest spot on defense. Starting linebackers Patrick Queen, Payton Wilson, and Malik Harrison have all struggled to carry the torch of Pittsburgh\u2019s most cherished position. Wilson has been caught flat-footed against the run and pass so often that Malik Harrison has taken snaps from him, who hasn\u2019t been much of an improvement. But, the leader of the group, Patrick Queen, takes the cake by having his worst season in Pittsburgh and as a pro. Missed tackles have haunted him all season long, although the Steelers fans I\u2019m surrounded by cry out Queen\u2019s name in despair not because of missed tackles, but because he seems to always be out of place or behind the action. He\u2019s deeply unreliable in coverage and too slow to make up for mistakes, and that can kill an otherwise solid front seven. Now, Queen has been responsible for a few impressive tackles when he\u2019s hit the right gap at the right time, but those moments are few and far between, which should have Woody Marks and Nick Chubb salivating.<\/p>\n
But, if Nick Caley and the Houston offense have any hope of establishing a rhythm, they\u2019ll first have to run through Pittsburgh\u2019s beefy defensive front. Led by longtime stars Cameron Heyward and OLB TJ Watt, the Steelers d-line has smashed and bashed its way to another sack-filled season, finishing fifth in the NFL this regular season with 48 sacks (Texans: tied-sixth with 47) and ninth in tackles-for-loss with 89 (Texans: fifth with 91). Behind Heyward and Watt is a new generation of tenacious pass-rushers finally coming into their own: OLBs Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig (who lead the team with 9.5 and 7.5 sacks, respectively), DT Keeanu Benton, and rookie DT Derrick Harmon. They\u2019ve been able to pressure the opposing quarterback nearly every game this season, so Texans RT Trent Brown and LT Aireontae Ersery will have their hands full keeping Stroud clean. Houston may try to avoid this rush by handing the ball off to their tailback, but, if their name isn\u2019t James Cook, Chase Brown, or Derrick Henry, they likely won\u2019t get far. Simply put, this won\u2019t be easy for CJ Stroud, and it can ugly in a hurry if he allows the pass rush to throw off his timing or accuracy. Hopefully, Texans RG Ed Ingram and LG Tytus Howard will able to scrounge up some rushing lanes in the middle to give the Texans some ground game to operate off of, but it\u2019s not coming to come easy.<\/p>\n
Like the Texans, the Steelers defense thrives off of turnovers, so protecting the football will be paramount for Stroud & Co. Against a front like this, I believe Nick Caley will want to take the pressure off of the Texans offensive line and get the ball out of the pocket and on the perimeter, similar to the Chiefs game. The Steelers pass-rush may be fast, but their linebackers are bad tacklers and DBs prone to miscommunication, so Houston\u2019s TEs and WRs should be able to find enough yards after the catch to keep drives going. For the ground game, the Texans may be able to find the production they\u2019re looking for by bringing out the various screen pass plays Woody Marks made a career out of in college while at USC and Mississippi State. Let Marks or Chubb leak out of the backfield with a few tight end or offensive linemen and target Pittsburgh\u2019s linebackers, and through that, the Texans may be able to dink-and-dunk their way to the end-zone. If Stroud is lucky, he may even find some of his receivers wide open downfield, just like Ravens QB Lamar Jackson. However, if Stroud takes some ill-advised sack or Heyward sticks his bear paw up to create a deflection, the entire game can flip upside down in a hurry.<\/p>\n
HOUSTON, TX – JANUARY 04: Azeez Al-Shaair #0 of the Houston Texans speaks to his teammates before kickoff against the Indianapolis Colts during an NFL football game at NRG Stadium on January 4, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Cooper Neill\/Getty Images) Getty Images<\/p>\n Houston\u2019s offense may offer some intrigue in this matchup, but the defense will be what decides the game. Finishing the regular season second overall in points and first overall in yards, the Texans defense was historic in dominance. It took until the season finale for opposing offenses to pass for more touchdowns (20) than interceptions (19) against Houston, absolutely incomparable by most modern NFL standards. They\u2019re one of five teams to hold opposing RBs to an average of under 100 yards per game, only one of four teams to hold opposing QBs to an average completion percentage under 60%, and ranked second in the league in turnover differential at +17 (1st: Chicago Bears with +22). They are just about as complete of a defense as you could ask for\u2026so, how will the Steelers go about attacking them?<\/p>\n Well, against other highly ranked defenses that Pittsburgh has faced, they\u2019ve relied on a very specific trio of playmakers to get them out of binds: RB Kenneth Gainwell, RB Jaylen Warren, and WR D.K. Metcalf. Warren is the quick and powerful, albeit short lead back, Gainwell is the Swiss army knife scatback, and Metcalf is the big #1 receiver that Rodgers considers his favorite target – at least, when he\u2019s on the field. Metcalf missed the last two games of the season due to a suspension he incurred after engaging in a fight with a Detroit Lions fan during their week 16 matchup. Possibly the worst time of the entire year for Metcalf to lose his cool as it nearly cost the Steelers their season, but here they are, 10-7 and in the wildcard round, just as the football gods intended. Houston will need to have a plan for Metcalf\u2019s return to action, but their first priority will be stopping Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell.<\/p>\n Warren and Gainwell have been the motor to Pittsburgh\u2019s most dominant victories, gashing opposing defenses that didn\u2019t have the speed to deal with either of them blasting upfield. In fact, I think that both player\u2019s short stature may help them on inside rushes occasionally, as they can be easily lost in the mass of humanity that piles up along the line of scrimmage immediately after the ball is snapped. On top of that, RG Mason McCormick, C Zach Frazier, and LG Isaac Seumalo have pushed enough people around to get both tailbacks over 1,000 scrimmage yards. Stopping this won\u2019t be a cakewalk for the Texans, but with a smart and physical defense like theirs, it\u2019s very possible. Both the Cleveland Browns and Buffalo Bills showed a disciplined defense can keep the two tailbacks contained, and even though \u201cdisciplined\u201d isn\u2019t the first word I would use to describe the Texans defense this year, I think they are up for the task. It will fall on LB Azeez Al-Shaair, LB Henry To\u2019oTo\u2019o, and S Jalen Pitre\u2019s shoulders to seal the edge or shoot through the right gaps, and if they fail, hopefully either CB Kamari Lassiter or S Calen Bullock can clean up after them.<\/p>\n And then, there was Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers. He still has an arm that can kill and the awareness to quickly catch a defense in bad coverage, so, even at age 42, he cannot be taken lightly. His efficiency, however, is highly reliant on the previously mentioned Metcalf, the Steelers best receiver. As seen in the last two games, Rodgers is a much more pedestrian quarterback without the big-body receiver to target. Unfortunately, Metcalf will return for the Texans wildcard game, but it\u2019s just as well since it may give Derek Stingley the chance to bait Rodgers into an interception. As MacGregor Wells of Gang Green Nation stated in 5 Questions with Gang Green Nation: What\u2019s the Aaron Rodgers experience like? <\/a>by Ryland Bickly<\/a>,<\/p>\n \u201cHe no longer is mobile. He is afraid to take a hit, resulting in a bunch of rushed throws. His arm strength, accuracy and ball placement are all diminished. He is simply no longer a top talent at the position\u201d – Wells<\/p>\n This may be a quote taken all the way back in June of last year, but I think it continues to ring true even now. Rodgers cannot escape incoming rushers, and his rushed throws are usually off the mark. This is where the Texans, specifically DEs Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson, can win the game. Houston\u2019s best two defensive linemen have the acumen to beat Steelers tackles and get to Aaron Rodgers, and if they can do that a few times next week, the Texans should come away with a win. The real wildcard of this matchup could be Steelers LT Dylan Cook, though. Cook has been starting in place on an injured LT Broderick Jones for Pittsburgh, and, despite being an undrafted free agent in 2022 that hadn\u2019t received any significant playing time until his first career start in week 15, Cook has been one of the highest graded blockers since taking the starting job. Because why not? I guess the Steelers just attract starting-quality lineman like a magnet, or something.<\/p>\n The Steelers are most effective when they are able to run an offense that mixes plenty of runs and passes together during a drive. They want to keep the defense guessing and both mentally and physically tire the opponents out. Again, are they a copy of the Texans or what? Regardless of these remarkable similarities between the two teams, Houston has the defensive stars capable of keeping up with Pittsburgh\u2019s best playmakers, and the pass-rushers that will give Rodgers nightmares. When he is pressured, Rodgers is prone to mistakes, and if the Texans can take a lead on the Steelers, they can force them into passing situations – exactly where they want them. Rodgers is no longer in MVP form, but in game-manager form, and if they\u2019re able to get him to start forcing passes to D.K. Metcalf, the Texans secondary should be able to feast on a flustered Rodgers. Metcalf will certainly give Texans CBs Derek Stingley and Karmari Lassiter some trouble thanks to his speed, but as long as the d-line is able to close in on Rodgers quickly enough, it shouldn\u2019t matter how many routes Metcalf wins. There isn\u2019t much after him on the depth chart, anyways, with Pittsburgh\u2019s #2 receiver, Calvin Austin III, only tallying 3 catches for 55 yards and a touchdown last week.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n