The Pittsburgh Steelers have a tough battle coming up in the Wild Card Round. They will have to go against statistically the best defense in the NFL in the Houston Texans at home. They also have a solid offense that can explode if their opposition focuses too much on the other side of the ball. That is especially the case with wide receiver Nico Collins quietly being one of the best receivers in the NFL. Even with their seemingly weak offensive line, it would be tough for any team to beat them in the postseason, let alone Pittsburgh.
Thomas Shea / USA TODAY Sports
Houston Texans quarterback CJ Stroud prepares to throw a pass as his team participates in a 2023 practice.
During a media availability on Thursday, Steelers Defensive Coordinator Teryl Austin spoke about Collins and how to stop him. Of course, there is the idea of making top cornerback Joey Porter Jr. shadow him all game long, but his coach was not very fond of that idea. He wants to use a little more brainpower than that in shutting the star receiver down.
Steeles DC Teryl Austin says you could see top corner Joey Porter Jr. on top receiver Nico Collins at times, “but we’re not just gonna say hey go have fun.” As in, they’ll still have certain schematics in place to limit a guy like Collins. pic.twitter.com/KRI46wKNCD
— Brian Batko (@BrianBatko) January 8, 2026
Austin and Head Coach Mike Tomlin will be trying to design plays to slow down Collins, but one thing is for sure: they can't just play soft zone defense and allow him to get lots of separation. In fact, allowing Porter to shadow him could be a good way to get the Texans' offense off rhythm with how well he plasters receivers at the line of scrimmage.
Nick Cammett / Diamond Images / Getty Images
Steelers coaches Mike Tomlin (left), Karl Dunbar (middle) and Teryl Austin (right) stand on the sideline during a home game at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, PA.
Of course, if someone else is dominating that game, the Steelers may want to move Porter over to stop him. Rookie wideout Jayden Higgins has been an underrated asset for Houston with his strong hands and big play ability. There are always in-game adjustments that will need to be made to win in the playoffs anyways, so Austin and Tomlin better prepare to possibly change everything.
The Steelers do like to play zone coverage, so they could still have Porter plaster Collins at the line of scrimmage before he goes to his zone on the field. However, all the development from the cornerback room in 2025 does make it easier for the team to play man coverage and run with everyone straight up, along with a spy in the middle of the field to watch in case the quarterback takes off.
Steelers May Have Been Scared Off By Week 18 Game
The Steelers may not want to play lockdown man coverage with how the Baltimore Ravens completely exposed their schemes. They had three wide open touchdowns on deep passes against the Steelers, including a miscommunication that almost lost them the game. Porter had a great game on his own, but as a collective, the pass defense in that contest was atrocious, and something has to change there.
Jared Wickerham / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers CB Joey Porter Jr. getting the home crowd hype at Acrisure Stadium in Week 5 of 2023 against the Baltimore Ravens.
Porter does have the ability to lock down Collins one-on-one, but the question for the Steelers is if they can avoid those miscommunication errors and stop leaving guys wide open like they did at the end of the 2024 season as well. That is likely the reason that Austin does not want to play blanket man coverage: in case someone like Higgins or Christian Kirk gets wide open for a 50+ yard touchdown due to someone not knowing his role.
What do you think about Austin not wanting to make Porter run with Collins all game long? Let us know in the comments or on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.
#SteelerNation
