Can the Steelers exploit Stroud?
Stroud was the top pick of the Texans this past offseason (in addition to Will Anderson), and to this point, he has looked good as a starter. He has yet to throw an interception and guided this team to an impressive upset win over the Jaguars a week ago. He has looked like the real deal so far.
The Steelers turnover turnover-happy defense should be excited for this matchup though. While Stroud has kept himself clean this season, rookies tend to not perform well against Pittsburgh. While this defense has been exposed at times, they have made offenses pay when given the opportunity.
With an injured line on top of this, T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith should be licking their lips this week. They both have good matchups and have been amongst the best edge rushers in the league so far this season. I expect both to have a field day this week, and that shouldn’t help Stroud as he seeks to win.
My questions are all built similarly. While the weaker unit is the offense, they aren’t the unit of focus this week. Run effectively and control the clock, force the Texans to throw the ball, win against a weak offensive line, and put pressure on a rookie. If those all materialize, I expect the Steelers to end this week with another win.