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THE ESSENTIALS
• Who: Steelers (3-0) vs. Titans (3-0)
• When: 1:02 p.m.
• Where: Heinz Field
• Forecast: 68 degrees, 50 percent chance of showers
• TV: CBS, KDKA (local)
• Radio: 102.5 WDVE, ESPN Pittsburgh
• Streaming: Steelers Nation Radio
• Satellite: SiriusXM 99, Internet 826
• Boxscore: NFL Game Center
• Media notes: Steelers | Texans
THE INJURY REPORT
Steelers: None
Texans: RB Duke Johnson (ankle, questionable); WR Kenny Stills (illness, questionable); LB Peter Kalambayi (hamstring, questionable)
THE KEY VARIABLE
It's no secret the Chiefs and Ravens have two of the best offenses in the NFL. So it's no surprise the Texans are 28th in the NFL in points allowed after two games, giving up 33.5 per game.
What is surprising is both the Chiefs and Ravens have run the ball well against the Texans. For Baltimore, which posted 230 yards against the Texans in a 33-16 win last week, that's not a shock. The Ravens set a single season rushing record last season. But the high-flying Chiefs chose to attack the Texans on the ground in a 34-20 win in Week 1, rushing for 166 yards.
Will the Steelers go with the same tactic against the Texans, who are allowing 198 yards rushing per game, or will they attack the Chiefs through the air?
Despite some angst from fans about the run-pass ratio, the Steelers are the only team in the league who have had a 100-yard rusher in each of the first two weeks of this season. And it's been a different player in each week, with Benny Snell doing so in a win over the Giants in the opener and James Conner doing it last week against the Broncos.
"I’m generally pleased with the trajectory of the run game," Mike Tomlin said. "We have been able to close games out via the run. We have been able to possess the ball in four-minute offense. We’ve had a lead in the latter part of the game and have been able to close the game out and maintain possession of the ball primarily via the run. I like that aspect of it."
Will the Steelers venture outside of that comfort zone and run the ball more early against the Texans? That could mean more use of Derek Watt, something Fichtner wants to incorporate as the season goes on.
Derek Watt was coming off an offseason surgery and was new to the team in a truncated training camp, so the Steelers didn't necessarily get to see everything from him they would have in a normal preseason. But they're getting accustomed to their new blocking back and would like to use him more.
He's played 14 total offensive snaps in the first two games. But if the Steelers plan on running the ball more against the Texans, Watt could see an increase in usage.
"I think as we are still finding our footing with this group of 2020 Steelers minus the offseason, I really believe you will see more of Derek," Fichtner said. "I think he’s warranted it.
"Derek is more than capable of playing in a lot of different ways. I’m excited moving forward there."
But the Steelers also would like to get the ball in the hands of their other playmakers. Wide receiver Diontae Johnson is third in the NFL in targets with 23 and has caught 14 passes for 149 yards and a touchdown. JuJu Smith-Schuster has 13 receptions for 117 yards and two scores. Rookie Chase Claypool caught an 84-yard touchdown pass from Roethlisberger last week, and James Washington has five catches for 56 yards and a score in the first two games.
Add in tight ends Eric Ebron and Vance McDonald, who the Steelers also would like to incorporate into their offense more, and there aren't enough touches to go around for everyone. But it also makes the Steelers extremely difficult to defend.
"He has some weapons around him in McDonald, Ebron and Johnson and then Smith-Schuster," Texans' safety Justin Reid said of Roethlisberger. "We also got a good game plan for them too though and what they're doing and matching up our guys against them. I'm walking into the game feeling very confident."
The Steelers could deal that confidence a blow if they have success early and start more quickly than they have in their first two games. The Steelers have scored 10 points in the first quarter this season and have yet to score in the third quarter, despite getting the ball to open the second half in both of those games.
THE HISTORY LESSON
The only two times the Steelers have played the Texans in September, they've also won the Super Bowl. Can it happen again?
The first of those victories came in a Week 2 win by the Steelers in Houston in 2005 over the Texans. The second was in the regular season opener in 2008, Tomlin's second season with the Steelers.
The 2008 meeting was the Willie Parker show.
Parker rushed for 138 yards on 25 carries, scoring three touchdowns as the Steelers routed the Texans, 38-17.
Parker scored a pair of first-half touchdowns and Roethlisberger threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Hines Ward to give the Steelers a 17-0 lead. The Texans cut the margin to 17-3 before hafltime on a Kris Brown field goal, but the Steelers continued to pour it on in the third quarter.
Parker scored his third rushing touchdown and Roethlisberger and Ward hooked up for a second score as the Steelers went ahead 31-3 entering the fourth quarter.
The Steelers defense sacked Matt Schaub five times and picked him off twice while also getting a fumble in a three-turnover game.
Roethlisberger didn't have to throw much, attempting just 14 passes, but he completed 13 of them for 137 yards before giving way to backup Byron Leftwich late in the game.
Ward caught six passes for 76 yards as the Steelers outgained the Texans 305-234.
Andre Johnson had 10 catches for 112 yards for Houston.
James Harrison recorded three sacks in the game, starting his campaign for the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award he would win at season's end when he finished with a team-record 16 sacks.
THE MAIN MATCHUP
All apologies to William Shakespeare, to blitz or not to blitz: that is the question.
The Steelers have lived and thrived on blitzing in their first two games, leading the NFL in sending extra pass rushers by sending what has typically been more than opposing offenses can handle nearly 64 percent of the time. That's up significantly from last season, when they blitzed around 37 percent of the time.
The Texans have seen all of that on tape and are quite aware of the Steelers' pressure packages.
“They do pressure a lot and they try to get five in the rush,” Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson said. “They do a great job of doing what they do. They’re very, very disciplined. It’s been very successful for them for years. If I was them, I would be the same way. I wouldn’t change it. I would do what I do because that’s what we’re good at.”
In previous seasons, blitzing Watson has not necessarily been the way to attack him.
For his career, Watson has a 97.4 passer rating when blitzed, which isn't much different than 100.7 rating he has posted when he's been rushed normally. He has, however, been sacked once every 7.9 pass attempts when blitzed against once every 12.1 times when he hasn't.
The problem is that Watson is very elusive with the ball in his hands and he continues to look to pass even when scrambling.
"Deshaun will make you pay if you give him more time," Steelers defensive end Cam Heyward said. "He has some really good receivers in (Will) Fuller and Randall Cobb. We have to make sure we take care of our business, take care of our rush lanes. But to get to that you have to stop the run. I've always been a firm believer, if you can make a team one-dimensional, then you can really light your hair on fire when it gets to the pass."
This season, Watson hasn't been quite as good when blitzed as he had been in previous years. In previous years, Watson's numbers against the blitz or not were practically the same. This season he has a 113.1 passer rating when not blitzed and a 50.0 rating when he has been blitzed, completing just 17 of 28 passes with no touchdowns and two interceptions.
Part of the reason for that lack of success this season against the blitz could be because the Texans traded star receiver DeAndre Hopkins to the Cardinals for running back David Johnson and draft picks. Hopkins had been Watson's security blanket in his first four seasons. Now, he's still searching for that go-to receiver in tough situations.
The Steelers hope that takes him at least one more week to figure out.
"We’ve got to make sure that we pick up the blitz and the pressures and the different things that they try to disguise and see,” said Watson. “For me, really just finding the open guy. If it’s the running back. If it’s the tight end, the receivers. I’ve got to be patient and find the open guy and see. There’s going to be a lot of contested balls. The DBs do a good job of being on our receivers, so we’ve just got to go out there and make plays and be on the same page.”
The Steelers want to get after Watson, but they also want to keep him contained in the pocket. Even though the Texans have designed just one running play for him this season, he's gain 44 yards on 11 carries in the first two weeks and has rushed for 551 and 443 yards in the previous two seasons.
"We're just focusing on containing him, keeping his feet inside the pocket and making sure we're on our keys when Deshaun has the ball in his hands," Steelers linebacker Devin Bush said. "We want t minimize all those big plays he can make with his feet."
THE TEN DATA POINTS
• The Texans have run 119 offensive plays in their first two games, the third-fewest in the league. The Steelers have run 126.
• Houston has not forced a turnover in its first two games. The Steelers have turned the ball over at least once in 25 consecutive games, the longest current streak in the NFL.
• The Texans are averaging 18 points per game and are one of just seven NFL teams not averaging 20 or more points.
• The Steelers lead the NFL in rushing defense allowing 66.5 yards per game. The Texans are 31st, allowing 198.0.
• Roethlisberger's 84-yard bomb to Claypool last week was the ninth 80-plus-yard touchdown pass of his career, tying him with Brett Favre for the most in NFL history.
• With a sack, the Steelers would have sacks in 60 consecutive games, tying Washington (1984-87) and New Orleans (1994-1998) for the second-longest such streak in league history. Tampa Bay (1999-2003) has the record at 69 games.
• The Steelers' 19 quarterback hits last week were the most in an NFL game since Jacksonville had 20 against the Colts in 2017.
• T.J. Watt has 25 career sacks in 25 career games at Heinz Field.
• The Steelers and Texans have met just six times previously, the fewest the Steelers have played against any AFC team. The Steelers hold a 4-2 advantage in those games.
• Mike Hilton's has 25 tackles for a loss since the start of the 2017 season. Only the Seahawks' Jamal Adams (31) has more.
THE FANTASY CORNER
We bounced back to finish in the money last week, posting a very respectable 142.52 points. Matt Ryan (28.52 points), Jonathan Taylor (22.0) and Diontae Johnson (23.20) were major hits. The same can't be said for Anthony Miller, but you can't hit them all. As I did last year, I'm going to build a fantasy lineup using Draft Kings and a $50,000 salary cap.
Quarterback: Mitch Trubisky, Bears ($5,700) -- I don't love Trubisky, but he's playing the Falcons, who are 30th against the pass. And he'll run for some yards, as well. I loaded up at some other positions this week, so I needed a cheap, viable option at QB.
Running back: Alvin Kamara, Saints ($7,900), Jerrick McKinnon, 49ers ($4,900) -- Kamara is a pass-catching machine with Michael Thomas out for the Saints. McKinnon should get 15 touches this week out of the 49ers backfield, which is good enough for me given what their backs have done thus far.
Wide receiver: Chris Godwin, Bucs ($6,700), Calvin Ridley, Falcons ($7,200), Jarvis Landry, Browns ($5,500) -- Godwin is back this week after sitting out with a concussion last week. And he will feast on the Broncos' secondary. Ridley should benefit greatly in targets with Julio Jones hobbled. And he's been the better play this season, anyway. Facing Washington's pass rush, the Browns will have to get the ball out of Baker Mayfield's hands quickly. That could mean Landry gets 10 catches this week.
Tight end: Eric Ebron, Steelers ($4,300) -- Don't be surprised if this is the week that Ebron gets his first touchdown reception as a member of the Steelers.
Flex: Josh Kelley, Chargers ($5,000) -- The Panthers have allowed at least three rushing touchdowns in each of the first two weeks. Kelley is cheaper than Austin Ekeler, even though he got 20-plus carries last week. Kelley is the grinder in the Chargers offense, which means he could get a couple of TD plunges this week.
Defense: Eagles ($2,800) -- The Bengals' offensive line will be tested heavily by Fletcher Cox and company. Looking to take advantage of some rookie mistakes on the cheap.
Our football staff predicts the game:
Dale Lolley (2-0): Desperation can be a driving force in football. And the Texans are desperate, making them a dangerous opponent today. Watson's career numbers against the blitz are far better than his numbers this season -- though the loss of Hopkins can't be overlooked as a reason. Keep an eye on Houston tight end Jordan Akins, who has nine catches for 94 yards and a touchdown on nine targets this season. In fact, both of Watson's touchdown passes have gone to tight ends. The Texans haven't used a lot of play-action -- 11 times -- but I expect more of it in this game to try to take advantage of the Steelers' aggressiveness. But I do think the Steelers are the better team. Look for a heavy dose of Conner and the running game. And while it will be close, they'll pull it out in the end. Steelers, 24-21
Christopher Carter (2-0): Defensively the Steelers have all the tools to bottle up Watson. Interior but disciplined pass rush in Tuitt and Heyward, persistent but patient edge rushing from Dupree and Watt, and athletic roamers in the middle of the field in Bush and Edmunds. This is a big chance for them to show how good they are, and I think they will. Roethlisberger needs to target his receivers and take advantage of the mismatches presented by the depth they represent. Each of Smith-Schuster, Johnson, Washington and Claypool have touchdowns, and now it's time to start picking at defenses who don't have the secondary to stick with that talent across the board. And the Texans are the perfect example of a team they can exploit. Roethlisberger's got a three touchdown game coming. Steelers, 27-19
Ramon Foster (2-0): Consistent running game. Deep passes. DeCastro being back is huge for both of those. Ben's getting a rapport with Diontae, but this Claypool kid, the way JuJu's bouncing back, it's opening up the offense. I didn't know what to expect from the newer guys, but Ben's got some big-play guys now, across the board. Defensively, this front ... with all the guys the Steelers have, all the trouble they cause, I like Deshaun, but he's going to have a tough time. Because he doesn't have those weapons Ben has. Steelers, 27-14
Tom Reed (2-0): T.J. could feast in the battle of the Watt Brothers. The Texans have allowed a league-high eight sacks and their offensive line appears to be regressing to 2018 mode when Watson was sacked a career-high 62 times. Translation: Keith Butler won't hold back in blitzing now. Houston has had a brutal schedule to open the season, facing the Chiefs and Ravens, so they're a better team than their 0-2 record indicates. But it's hard to imagine them leaving Heinz Field with a win. Steelers, 27-13
Dejan Kovacevic (2-0): Man, I'm uncomfortable picking an NFL team to open 3-0. But I'm even more uncomfortable picking against this Pittsburgh defense when these guys keep chewing up and spitting out quarterbacks. Watson can move, obviously, but get a load of this advanced stat: Houston's offensive line has a pass-block win rate of 39.7%, second-worst in the league. (Only the Dolphins are worse.) Yeah, they've faced the Chiefs and Ravens, so it's skewed, but this defense is better than either of those two. Steelers, 31-13