Pittsburgh Steelers slightly favorites over the Houston Texans in Week 3

The Pittsburgh Steelers are favored for the third straight game, but this time not by much. Here’s why oddsmakers are calling for a close contest vs. Texans.

For the third week in a row, the Steelers are favorited over their opponents. However, they haven’t exactly faced the cream of the crop so far. The New York Giants could prove to be one of the NFL’s worst teams in 2020, while there may not be a team out there that has suffered bigger injuries than the Denver Broncos so far.

Pittsburgh has been pleasantly surprising to kick off the season. While many expected them to win each of their first two matchups, it usually takes them a while to get the wheels spinning. Ben Roethlisberger threw an interception on a lame-duck pass last week but has looked better than expected coming off a severe elbow injury, while the defense has been firing on all cylinders early on.

However, despite their early success, oddsmakers don’t have the Steelers running away with their Week 3 home matchup against the Houston Texans. Pittsburgh opened the week as just 3.5 point favorites in this one, courtesy of The Action Network.

This is a bit surprising considering the circumstances. Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson has been under constant distress in each of his first two games and has been one of the most sacked and pressured quarterbacks in the league so far this year.

This doesn’t sound like a recipe for success for Houston – especially when their offense is averaging just 18.0 points per game. T.J. Watt and company have been a quarterback’s worst nightmare through two games this season, so I would be a bit surprised if Watson can stay upright on Sunday.

However, Deshaun Watson is a much better quarterback than the signal-callers Pittsburgh has faced in the first two games of the season, and he has the ability to beat them on any given play.

Why the Steelers should win again in Week 3

Shockingly, the Texans are only given 3.5 points in this contest, but this is a game that shouldn’t have to be this close. Right now, Pittsburgh has a more consistent offense that includes an array of weapons for Roethlisberger to find down the field. They have scored 26 points in each of their first two games while surrendering just 18.5 points to opposing teams.

On the other hand, Houston’s point differential has been embarrassing – scoring 18.0 points per game while giving up 33.5. The biggest difference is the level of completion they have faced. The Texans have been given the difficult task of trying to take down the Baltimore Ravens and the Kansas City Chiefs in each of their first two games. Now they get the Pittsburgh Steelers.

While this could be a close game, there’s no reason Mike Tomlin and his crew can’t claim their third straight victory of the season. Pittsburgh’s defense is red-hot and the offense is doing enough to keep opponents on their heals.

The Steelers aren’t immune to dropping a game to a talented quarterback like Watson, but I feel like they should be favored by more than 3.5 in this contest. Keep an eye out to see if this line shifts before gameday.