While the Texans do not boast the same roster as the NFC-favorite 49ers did in Week 1, this Week 4 matchup for the Steelers at 1:02 p.m. Sunday will have some similar flavors.
With a new head coach, new offensive coordinator and rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud at the helm, the arrow is pointing up in Houston. The Texans are carrying the momentum of their first emphatic win of the season into this Sunday's matchup with the Steelers, who are looking to build on their recent victory over the Raiders.
DeMeco Ryans, the new head coach of the Texans, became a top candidate for a head coaching role after just two seasons as the 49ers' defensive coordinator. He transformed a middling defense in 2020 into a top-10 unit in 2021. Ryans continued his success by leading the No. 1-ranked defense in both points and yards allowed in 2022. Upon joining the Texans in January, he brought some familiar faces with him, including Bobby Slowik from the 49ers as his offensive coordinator and Matt Burke, formerly the defensive line coach for the Cardinals, as his defensive coordinator.
The Texans don't bring nearly the same pedigree as the 49ers, but they still pose a threat.
"The thing with the NFL is there's really only so much you can do," T.J. Watt said after Friday's practice on the South Side. "There are a lot of similarities every week, but there are specifically some more this week than others. It's been good film to go back and watch our 49ers game, go back and watch games where he was back with the 49ers calling plays and seeing similarities and differences."
It's becoming increasingly clear that the Steelers will have to heavily rely on their defense, along with the standout performances from players like Watt, Alex Highsmith and the rest of the unit, which played a significant role in their victories against the Browns and the Raiders. Meanwhile, in Houston, Stroud had a standout game in the Texans' 37-10 victory over the Jaguars on Sunday. It was his best performance as a pro, completing 20 of 30 passes for 280 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. He also contributed to the scoreline with double-digit points in two out of four quarters. Fellow rookie Tank Dell also provided a monster game, catching five of seven targets for 145 yards and a touchdown.
Patrick Peterson compared Dell to the 49ers' Ray-Ray McLoud.
"The Texans have some similarities to the 49ers as far as the passing game, but those guys don't have Kyle Shanahan calling the plays," Peterson said. "They have resemblance, but it's not the same. The good thing about it is there's some keys that we saw in the San Francisco 49ers game that these guys will present to us. Now it'll be all upon us to go out there and play and make it happen for ourselves on defense."
How do Peterson and the Steelers study tape and prepare for a quarterback who only has three NFL games under his belt?
"It's always challenging, especially when he's playing with such a high level -- confidence level -- right now," Peterson said. "He looks really, really sharp on tape, looks like he understands where to go with the ball, makes his reads right in front of his face and if the first progression's not there he's able to roll back to his left or his right to try to find the second or third outlet. They do a really, really good job trying to game plan, get him into some rhythm throws, quick passes to where he's really not trying to read too much."
It might not be Shanahan calling the plays, but Slowik spent six seasons around Shanahan and had a solid baseline to put his own twist onto for his offense. Slowik also played a part in Brock Purdy's rapid development last season after the quarterback was selected as the 2022 NFL Draft's "Mr. Irrelevant" selection.
The Texans will be without starting tackles Laremy Tunsil and Josh Jones because of injuries. That is sure to present Watt and Highsmith with plenty of shots to make plays.
"I think we had a good week of film study and stuff like that," Highsmith told me. "I think it's going to be a good week. I think we've got a good plan in place for the game. ... They've definitely got a unique style in what they do. Definitely have got things dressed up to look like something and then make it look like a different play. They're good at dressing up different things and doing motions and stuff like that. They dress it up really well so we've really got to be on our P's and Q's and our eyes have got to be disciplined in this game."
The Steelers' run defense had its best showing of the season last week against the Raiders. Josh Jacobs was held to 62 yards on 17 carries, and the Raiders rushed for only 69 yards as a team. Alongside Stroud's mobility, the Texans feature a potent running back duo in Dameon Pierce and Devin Singletary. Pierce shoulders the bulk of the workload, while Singletary provides a change-of-pace option.
Last week, Pierce carried the ball 14 times for 31 yards and a 1-yard touchdown while Singletary toted it nine times for 41 yards. Pierce added 28 receiving yards on three catches.
