By: CJ Lester, @CJLester58
SteelerNation.com
Week 3 is right around the corner and there is another home game on the menu for the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers take on the Houston Texans this week at Heinz Field. The Steelers defeated the Denver Broncos 26-21 in Week 2, moving their record to 2-0 heading into Week 3. It wasn’t the prettiest of wins, but a win is a win. In a season with no preseason games, I’m definitely happy with the 2-0 start. Look for the Steelers to try to move to 3-0 against the Texans tomorrow at 1 PM Eastern time.
Last week in review
The three things I noted that we should keep an eye on last week were:
- Will Big Ben’s stellar history against the Broncos continue?
Ben Roethlisberger finished the game 29 of 41 for 311 yards, 2 TD's and 1 interception. Despite the hesitant throw that caused the interception on the stat line, Roethlisberger played well. He completed a beautiful deep ball to rookie WR Chase Claypool, hitting him in stride for an 84-yard TD. It’s still early on in the season and even though Roethlisberger is continuing to knock off rust from a year long hiatus from the game, Steelers’ fans can’t be too upset about a 300-yard throwing performance in Week 2.
- Physicality: Can the Steelers get the run game going again this week?
The Steelers’ offense struggled to get the run game going last week and would have been held to just 50 yards rushing if you take away the beautiful “nail in the coffin” 59-yard scamper from RB James Conner. Just to note, the lead blocker on that run was FB Derek Watt. That run put Conner over the 100-yard mark for the game. Maybe, it would be a good idea to insert the fullback a little more in order to get more consistency out of the run game. Maybe, that is a good idea or maybe it has just become an extinct way of thinking.
- Will the defense continue forcing turnovers?
The Steelers defense were in fact able to continue forcing turnovers last week against the Broncos. The defense was able to snag an interception from Jeff Driskel and they forced and recovered a fumble from Drew Lock. The Steelers’ special teams’ unit was also able to capitalize on a Broncos’ fumble and turned it into 2 points on the safety. I know that isn’t exactly another turnover, but could viewed as one.
Let’s take a look at 3 things we should watch for Week 3 at home against the Texans:
- TJ Watt vs. JJ Watt: Who wreaks more havoc?
We all knew it was going to be a top headline when the schedule dropped earlier this year. Two All- Pro defensive stars, who happen to be brothers playing in the same game. Remember, these two Watts aren’t the only brothers playing in this game. Steelers’ fullback Derek Watt will continue to be an elite special teams’ player and hopefully can get in the game on offense to lead block for the Steelers’ running backs. We would all love to see the head to head matchup of Derek Watt taking on brother JJ Watt. This is the second time in NFL history that three brothers will play in the same game, with the first occurring last season when all three Edmunds brothers (Terrell Edmunds, Trey Edmunds, and Tremaine Edmunds) played when the Steelers took on the Buffalo Bills. TJ will be matched up with the RT Tytus Howard, which could be a mismatch to watch the entire game. Howard hasn’t given up a sack yet this season, but that could change quickly against Watt. On the offensive side of things for the Steelers, Chukwuma Okorafor draws the assignment of JJ Watt. With an impressive outing last week, Okorafor will look to neutralize JJ Watt. JJ leads the Texans in sacks with 2 on the year, while TJ leads the Steelers in sacks with 2.5 on the year.
- Will the Texans Offensive Line Continue to Struggle Against the Steelers’ Pressure?
Currently, Texans’ QB, Deshaun Watson is tied for second in the amount of times he has been sacked. The quarterback has been sacked 8 times in 2 games this season. The only reason he isn’t tied for first is because the Jacksonville Jaguars already played their 3rd game on Thursday night and gave up 4 sacks to the Miami Dolphins bringing Gardner Minshew’s total to 10 on the season. We are all aware that this Steelers defense brings pressure often. The team is able to bring pressure from any position at any time. The Texans’ offensive line has their work cut out for them tomorrow!
- Can the Steelers’ defense clean up the penalties?
Last week, the Steelers committed penalties many times in crucial moments of the game. Several penalties aided the Broncos in getting first downs in order to keep drives alive. A lot of penalties were ticky tacky, but in order to be a championship team, those must be cleaned up. This week at practice, the Steelers and head coach, Mike Tomlin brought in NFL officials to try to clean up those penalties. Will the defense be more disciplined and avoid committing penalties in crucial moments this week? Only time will tell!
What do you think, Steeler Nation? What should we watch for Week 3 against the Texans? Sound off in the comment section below, on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!
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