SCOUTING THE TEXANS
Last meeting
Texans beat Steelers, 30-6, on Oct. 1, 2023 in Houston
Key matchup
Texans TE Dalton Schultz vs. Steelers ILB Payton Wilson
Only two NFL tight ends had more catches this season than Schultz (82). With Houston being a pass-heavy team that is not particularly adept in the running game, this figures to be a game in which Wilson plays more for the Steelers than Malik Harrison. Wilson’s playing time has waned late this season, in part because the Steelers have faced a bevy of run-first offenses. Not the Texans.
Series record
Steelers lead 5-3
Series notes
This is the first postseason meeting between the Steelers and Texans. … The teams have met exactly every three years since Houston entered the league in 2002, alternating between games in Pittsburgh and Houston. That signals that not once in the other 15 seasons had the NFL’s schedule rotation matched up the Steelers and Texans because they had never finished in the same placing in their respective divisions the prior year. … The teams will play next season at NRG Stadium. … The Steelers have won three of four games between the teams at what is now called Acrisure Stadium. They have won three consecutive at home after losing the inaugural meeting when the Texans were an expansion team in 2002. … In the most recent meeting in 2023, Schultz had a touchdown catch and Houston out-gained the Steelers, 451-225. It was notable for being C.J. Stroud’s first home win as an NFL quarterback. Stroud was the No. 2 overall pick that year and was the NFL offensive rookie of the year.
Notable
This is the third consecutive season the Texans are in the playoffs. They have qualified in nine of the past 15 seasons. … They have six wins over that span, three more than the Steelers do in that time. Houston has never won more than once in any given postseason and has never appeared in a conference title game. … This is the first time the Texans have made the playoffs as a wild-card team. … The Texans are 0-6 all-time on the road in the playoffs. They are 6-2 at home. … The Steelers have lost six consecutive playoff games and have lost three of their past four postseason contests at the facility that used to be called Heinz Field. … The Steelers are 8-6 overall at the stadium. They are 24-13 at home in the playoffs overall. … The Steelers are 6-9 in the wild-card round of the playoffs, having lost four in a row. The Texans are 6-2 in the wild-card round with all of those games played in Houston. … The Steelers have lost three of four games against AFC South teams in the postseason, beating the Indianapolis Colts in 2005 but losing to the Tennessee Titans in 2002 and to the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2007 and 2017. … The forecast for kickoff on Monday evening is a temperature around 30 degrees. From a southern city and playing home games in a stadium with a roof, the Texans have played in only one postseason game with a game time temperature of less than 27 degrees.
Fantasy tip
No team in the NFL this season allowed fewer touchdowns to opposing running backs than the Steelers (seven). Only one team had fewer rushing touchdowns this season than the Texans (nine). Houston running backs for the season combined for just nine touchdowns (six rushing and three receiving).
