Next opponent: Steelers' defense aims to slow down Texans' impressive rookies

Regardless of several problems that are still hampering this team, the Steelers enter Week 4 with a 2-1 record. That's good enough to be tied with the Ravens atop the AFC North. This week, the Steelers go back on the road with an opportunity to improve their conference record as well, taking on the rebuilding Texans in Houston.

Here's a snapshot of what the Texans bring into Week 4:

HOUSTON TEXANS

Record: 1-2
Standing: Second, AFC South
Last result: Won over Jaguars, 37-17

THE TREND

It's a new era in Houston. DeMeco Ryans left his job as 49ers defensive coordinator to become the head coach of the Texans, taking on the challenge of building a team from the ground up.

Even with a strong draft class, there isn't much expected of the Texans in 2023, who finished last season with an abysmal 3-13-1 record. However, that isn't stopping Houston from playing a hungry, tough brand of football. They haven't made it easy on their opponents, producing more yards than their opponent in two of their three games, and they're converting third downs at the fifth-highest mark in the NFL.

"I can't say enough about DeMeco and what he's doing, the foundation that he's laying," Mike Tomlin said during his Tuesday press conference. "I see it. It is tangible. They're a fundamental group, they play hard, they don't make a lot of mistakes, they don't kick their own butt, and they're growing."

The Texans have improved on their performance week after week, culminating in a 37-17 thrashing of the Jaguars last week in Jacksonville. Tomlin talks constantly about how it is a reasonable expectation for younger players to be "a guy on the rise." Well, this young team is on the rise entering Week 4.

THE QUARTERBACK

Perhaps the most pivotal piece of Houston's rebuild is C.J. Stroud, who was selected with the second overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.

The Ohio State product was one of the top quarterbacks in this year's draft class, and for good reason. Stroud possesses a high football IQ and superb athleticism, which is fits right into today's NFL product. He can extend plays with his legs, but isn't quick to take off and run. He looks to make the pass first, which shows he's more mature than a lot of other rookie quarterbacks.

Stroud's career is off to a phenomenal start, despite the Texans being very banged up on the offensive line. Stroud has yet to throw an interception in 121 pass attempts this season, the most to start a career in NFL history. He's also the third all-time with 906 passing yards through his first three career starts. Only Cam Newton and Justin Herbert had more. He's looked mighty good in the Texans' first three games:

And, it's worth noting that Stroud is one of the Texans' team captains. Yes, he might be the starting quarterback, but that honor is not guaranteed for rookies. The Texans believe in who he is on and off the field. 

Though three games is not a big enough sample size to anoint him as the next great quarterback in this league, Stroud's performance thus far has been very promising. The Steelers cannot take him lightly.

THE OFFENSE

Stroud is the key piece of the offense. However, the Texans have some pieces that have the potential to give the Steelers fits this week.

The Texans are committed to the running game, which is centered around second-year running back Dameon Pierce. As a rookie, Pierce racked up 1,104 yards from scrimmage, averaging 4.4 yards per touch. While he wasn't one of the favorites to win Rookie of the Year, he did finish ninth in the voting. He's off to a slow start this season, gaining only 100 yards on 40 carries thus far. However, just as it was with Josh Jacobs last week, the Steelers have to prepare accordingly for Pierce to be a central piece in the Texans' game plan.

In the passing game, Stroud is building some serious chemistry with fellow rookie, Tank Dell. Through three games, Stroud has a passer rating of 143.2 when throwing to Dell. Needless to say, that's a connection that garners plenty of attention by opponents moving forward. Dell plays much faster than his 4.49 40-yard dash, specifically with a phenomenal release at the line of scrimmage. That makes it much easier to take advantage of busted coverages like this:

Of course, all of this makes it sound like the Texans have the most dangerous offense in the league. Obviously, there is still lots of room for them to grow. For a a team that wants to run the ball effectively, that just hasn't happened yet. Houston is just one spot better than the Steelers, ranking 29th in the NFL with an average of only 70.0 yards per game on the ground. Houston also has the worst yards per carry in the league (2.8).

The red zone has also been a major struggle for this team. The Texans have scored touchdowns in only three of their 11 trips to the red zone. That 27.3% conversion rate is worst in the NFL.

THE DEFENSE

With his last job being defensive coordinator in San Francisco, Ryans' Texans sure aim to be a much better defensive team in 2023. There are a lot of younger pieces on this roster. But, Tomlin already sees Ryans' fingerprints in the development process.

"I see some very similar things that you saw in San Francisco defensive tape," Tomlin said. "They're a fundamentalist group. Not a lot of splash plays. They keep the ball in front of them.They're really tough against the run. They make you operate over the course of drives as opposed to splattering of big plays. They communicate well. They adjust very well. I think the small menu allows those things to happen. They're not going to kick their own butts, as I mentioned. And so, that's the challenge, again on that side. I've seen growth over the last three weeks on that side as well regardless of the outcome of the games."

The Texans are so committed to upgrading their defense that they traded up in the 2023 draft to the pick right after Stroud so they could snag Alabama edge defender Will Anderson, Jr. with the third overall selection. Anderson has only recorded one sack through three games, but he has found other ways to wreak havoc, including special teams:

Sheldon Rankins, Kurt Hinish and Maliek Collins have handled the vast majority of snaps on the interior of the defensive line, but aren't off to a great start. The trio rank 111th, 112th and 127th out of 128 interior defenders on Pro Football Focus, respectively. The linebacker trio of rookie Henry To'oTo'o, Denzel Perryman and Christian Harris have helped minimize teams from gashing them on the ground, especially Perryman, though he is battling an injury right now. Even so, the Texans rank 17th in the NFL, allowing 117.3 rushing yards per game.

The Texans are much stronger in the secondary. Cornerbacks Tavierre Thomas and former Steeler Steven Nelson, along with safeties M.J Stewart, Jimmie Ward and Eric Murray have made it difficult on opposing teams to throw the ball. With only two interceptions and seven passes defensed, Tomlin's point about the lack of splash plays is found true in the numbers. The Texans have had teams throw deep (20-plus yards) downfield only seven times this season. Only three teams have allowed less. And, the Texans have the second-lowest average depth of target allowed in the league (5.7 yards). They aren't letting teams beat them over the top.

THE SPECIAL TEAMS

The Texans have multiple contributors in the return game. Devin Singletary, Mike Boone and Andrew Beck have all returned kicks, though Beck's lone return went 85 yards for a touchdown in the win over the Jaguars last week. Dell and Robert Woods have evenly split punt return duties thus far. Ka'imi Fairbairn has made 8 of 9 field goal attempts thus far. He's a solid kicker, boasting an 85.7 field goal percentage over his seven-year career.

THE INJURY REPORT

• Denzel Perryman, LB (hand) -- Perryman did not play against Jacksonville, did not practice this week and will not suit up on Sunday. He's the primary off-ball linebacker in the Texans' defense, so his absence is significant.

• Tavierre Thomas, CB (hand) -- Thomas also missed the Jacksonville game, and had surgery one week ago Tuesday. His availability was already bleak, and he's been officially ruled out. Grayland Arnold is his replacement at nickel.

• Laremy Tunsil, OT (knee) -- The stud left tackle has missed two games in a row, despite being a limited participant in practice last week. He's not quite qorked his way back yet, as the Texans ruled him out. Josh Jones is the usual replacement for Tunsil, however ...

• Josh Jones, OT (hand) -- Jones popped up on the injury report this week, and was subsequently ruled out after not practicing this week. This is a massive blow to a Texans team that is already down their regular left and right tackles.

• Jalen Pitre, S (chest) -- Pitre missed the past two games after sustaining a bruised lung injury in Week 1 against the Ravens. He returned to practice this week, and doesn't carry an injury designation into Sunday. That's a boost to the back end of the Houston defense.

• Michael Deiter, C (chest) -- Deiter popped up on the injury report Thursday as a limited participant. Then, he didn't practice Friday. Jarrett Patterson and Kendrick Green are the starting center and left guard, respectively. However, Deiter is the first man up if either of them go down with an injury. Considering the injuries the Texans have at tackle, Deiter's absence on Sunday would further compound the Texans' conundrum up front.

• Derek Stingley, Jr., CB (hamstring) -- Stingley was placed on injured reserve this past Saturday, which rules him out for at least the next four weeks. Shaquill Griffin is starting in his stead.

• Tytus Howard, OT (hand) -- Howard is the regular starter at right tackle, but was placed on IR prior to the start of the season. George Fant is the starting right tackle while Howard is out.

• Hassan Ridgeway, DT (calf) -- Ridgeway was injured in the season opener against the Ravens, and was subsequently placed on IR. He's out Sunday.

• Noah Brown, WR (groin) -- Like Ridgeway, Brown was injured in the season opener placed on IR three days later. He's also out.

QUOTABLE

“I have trust and faith in my guys and my job is to get the ball out on time and do whatever it takes to execute. He’s a great player -- both 90 [T.J. Watt] and 56 [Alex Highsmith] -- definitely two dogs. Even up front, their [defensive] tackles are really good, too. This isn’t the first time I’m playing against really good [defensive] ends either. I think he’s probably the best defensive player in the league, other than Micah Parsons and a couple of other guys that are standing out in the league right now. You have to be aware of them, but at the same time we have to have confidence in what we’re doing. They have to play us, too. We’re not just going to lay down and just submit because he’s the best player. We’re really good players on this side, too. Looking forward to competing against those guys, but I’ve got to do my part which is just playing clean.” -- C.J. Stroud on facing the Steelers' defensive front

"Yeah, Coach Tomlin has definitely made an impression on me and impact on me from when I first sat down with him when I was a player. He was the defensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings. Just his knowledge of the game and his advice to me as a young rookie coming into the league, and then just watching him from afar – you talk about a head coach who has success every year. Not a [single] losing season, that’s what you want to emulate. And how he goes about it – they play a tough brand of football. Physical football. Defense. Defensive head coach. So, [he’s] definitely a guy I look up to, and you see his success and how his players rave about him. I think that’s what sticks out the most, and that’s the type of coach that I want to be – a man who truly cares about the players. Not just as players, but as men, and that’s where Coach Tomlin sticks out to me the most, and I have the upmost respect for him." -- DeMeco Ryans on Mike Tomlin's impact on his journey toward becoming a head coach

"I’m glad it happened. I’m glad I’m not there anymore. I’m just looking at it as just another game, going out there to play my best. Just good that I’ll see some familiar faces on the other side. Got put in a pretty tough spot when I was there, and just think it’s fortunate the way it worked out." -- Kendrick Green on getting traded to the Texans

"It will be a special week here with J.J. [Watt] going into the Ring of Honor. A guy who is very deserving. You can’t think of another player -- him and Andre Johnson are two of the greatest Texans to suit up for us, and so it’s important for us to honor those guys – legends who did a lot for the organization, played a lot of winning football here, and for us, we want to mimic what those guys have stood for." -- DeMeco Ryans on the upcoming induction of J.J. Watt into the Texans' Ring of Honor this Sunday