4 things fans must know about Steelers Week 3 matchup vs. Texans

Texans defense has more star power than you think

It is really hard to gauge how good a defense might be when the only body of work to go off of is a two-week stretch in the season where they faced the best passing offense in the league, followed by the best running offense of all time. With that being said, there are some players worth mentioning on this defense.

Possibly one of the greatest ever, J.J. Watt, was able to pull off 2 sacks on just 44 snaps in their Week 2 matchup against the Ravens, per ProFootballReference.  Bradley Roby and Vernon Hargreaves III make a solid 1-2 pairing at cornerback. Whitney Mercilus has good ability to rush the passer opposite of Watt, as evidenced by his career total of 50 sacks at the age of 30.

We can’t forget the 2018 Pro Bowler, Benardrick McKinney. He has totaled over 100 tackles in 3 of his 6 seasons and entering week 3 of the 2020 season he already has 17 per ProFootballReference.

In addition, they have a solid group of defensive backs headlined by a ball hawk type free safety and an above-average front 7. I don’t think this group is more talented than the Broncos when both squads are healthy, but with Von Miller and A.J. Bouye out, I believe the Texans will provide a harder challenge for the Pittsburgh Steelers offense than Denver did.