Steelers Have Inside Track To Put A Stop To Texans' Winning Streak Thanks To Rookie

The Pittsburgh Steelers have made it into the postseason for the third consecutive season, and they will be playing against the Houston Texans on Wild Card Weekend. Houston has also made it into the postseason for three consecutive seasons, and the Texans have advanced in the playoffs in each of the last two years. That is something Pittsburgh has failed to do for nearly a decade, and the team is looking to end that horrific streak on Monday night when the game will take place. It is going to be a tough challenge as Houston is on a heater, but the Steelers have the experience and talent to get the job done.

The Texans have an impressive group on both the offensive and defensive side of the football. The defense is one of the best in the league as Houston has an elite pass rush and an elite secondary, but the offense can also put up points behind quarterback CJ Stroud. Stroud lit up Pittsburgh when he played against the Steelers during his rookie season in 2023, and Pittsburgh is going to have to find a way to slow him down this time around. 

Stroud was teammates with Steelers rookie linebacker Jack Sawyer while the two were in college together at Ohio State, and Sawyer was asked by the media on Monday about how to slow down his former college quarterback.

"You got to throw everything at him," Sawyer said. "Make him second-guess and not be on time. 'Cause when he is on time and in rhythm, he is one of the best to do it. I'm looking forward to it, though. CJ's awesome. He is having a great career already. And a better person. He's a competitor. I think that's the one thing that's always stuck out to me about CJ. He wants to win."

Stroud started his career off in 2023 looking like one of the best quarterbacks in the league, but he took a step backwards in 2024. He has improved slightly in his third season and he has been able to lead his team to wins. He has won a playoff game in each of his first two seasons in the league as mentioned, and Sawyer and the rest of Pittsburgh's defense will be looking to bring that streak to a screeching halt.

The Texans are going for their 10th consecutive win when they travel to Pittsburgh to play the Steelers, while Pittsburgh is going to have to likely put forth its most complete game of the season in order to win. Winning this game is going to have to start on the defensive side of the ball as the secondary is going to have to lock up wide receiver Nico Collins to allow the pass rush to get to Stroud. This would make him second-guess himself as Sawyer mentioned, which should lead to some beneficial plays for Pittsburgh.

Stroud has been impressive throughout his career, but he has been prone to turnovers and hanging onto the football for too long. If the Steelers can force him into doing this, the defense should be able to set the offense up in some good spots. The quarterback has played in about 13.5 games for the Texans during the 2025 campaign and he has thrown eight interceptions while taking 23 sacks and coughing the ball up twice. Pittsburgh has to force some of those plays in order to have any chance of winning in the playoffs.

Steelers' Arthur Smith Must Show Up Big Time Against Houston

Houston's defense is ranked first in the NFL in yards and second in points, while also being third in takeaways. It is the most daunting defensive unit Pittsburgh has seen all season long, and Offensive Coordinator Arthur Smith is going to have to get creative when it coms to finding a way to manufacture some points. 

The defense can do its job well for Pittsburgh, but the offense of the Steelers is going to have to have one of its best games of the season.

What do you think about Sawyer's comments about stopping Stroud? Let us know in the comments below!

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