Dissecting Most Crucial Matchups in Steelers' Week 7 Contest with Texans

A blowout loss last week has the Pittsburgh Steelers in last place in the AFC North. As the Houston Texans come to town, Mike Tomlin has a lot of work to do to get his team back in the win column.

One of the major issues plaguing the Steelers right now is their production in the red zone. They rank 31st in the league after failing in all three trips inside of the 20 against the Cleveland Browns. Besides the offense, the defense had problems last week.

Cleveland’s offense had plenty of success on the ground with 158 yards and three touchdowns. Meanwhile, Brian Hoyer made the most of his limited opportunities, throwing for 217 yards on just eight completions. These areas highlight several of Pittsburgh’s problems and what Tomlin hopes to change for the upcoming game against the Houston Texans, via Bob Labriola of Steelers.com:

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For us moving forward, we have to put ourselves into a position where we make more plays. We need to look critically at what we’re doing. We need to look critically at who we’re doing it with. We’re open to all of those things this week. Those are some of the discussions we’re going to have this week as we prepare for Houston. We’re going to turn over all the stones to produce more playmaking, and in particular more situational playmaking.

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Whether it is changes with the scheme or with the personnel, the Steelers must alter their approach if they are going to get a win against the Texans in Week 7. Here are several of the key matchups to watch as Pittsburgh once against plays under the lights for a national audience on Monday.

Offensive Line vs. J.J. Watt

Bob Levey/Getty Images

J.J. Watt is head and shoulders above every defensive player in the NFL this year.

That is bad news for Pittsburgh’s offensive line and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Already sacked 17 times this year—second most in the league—he will have to avoid one of the best pass-rushers in the entire league.

Watt has four sacks through four games but has been one of the most dominating players in the entire league. He has 26 tackles, two fumble recoveries, one interception, six passes defended, four tackles for loss and one touchdown. For good measure, he has a blocked field goal as well.

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So far J.J. Watt leads league with 41 combined sacks, hits & hurries. 2nd? Ryan Kerrigan with 30 & Dwight Freeney 3rd with 27

— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) October 13, 2014"

According to Advanced Football Analytics, Watt leads all defensive players in win probability average, a stat which “measures total impact on a team’s chance of winning a game.” He also leads defenders in expected points added, which “measures total production in terms of net points.”

The MMQB's Peter King views Watt as a potential MVP candidate, and he will give Pittsburgh’s offense fits. He can rush the quarterback with speed or power, but he also has terrific play recognition.

For instance, against the Indianapolis Colts, Watt recognized a screen pass and cut off Andrew Luck’s passing lane. After the pass was thrown, Watt was able to get his hands in the air, where he nearly made an interception. This is a potential issue for the Steelers if they want to use Le’Veon Bell in the passing game.

As dangerous as Watt can be in this area, the primary focus will be keeping him away from Roethlisberger. That will require the Steelers to double-team him with an extra tight end to provide assistance for Marcus Gilbert or to keep a back in deep for pass protection.

Credit: NFL.com

When single-blocked, Watt has the edge every time. Against Indianapolis, he took advantage of this situation and barely even needed to use his hands to get around the tackle to make a sack.

Credit: NFL.com

The Steelers must keep Roethlisberger on his feet and provide him with time to throw, or he will have a repeat of his performance in Cleveland, where his accuracy suffered. Watt can change the game in an instant with a sack or a turnover, and that is the last thing that the Steelers and their struggling offense need.

Cam Thomas vs. Arian Foster

In his weekly press conference, Mike Tomlin ruled out Steve McLendon for Week 7 (h/t Bob Labriola of Steelers.com). That puts Cam Thomas in the starting lineup and could mean that Daniel McCullers suits up for the first time this year.

This will spell trouble for a defense that allows 111.2 yards per game on the ground. Arian Foster is the type of running back who can run wild given his rushing style.

Foster demonstrates his ability to cut back against the flow on this touchdown against the Colts. His ability to read the blocking and his a patience in allowing the play to develop help set up this touchdown. After cutting through the hole, he bounced to the outside before outracing the defenders to the end zone.

Credit: NFL.com

As we have seen in two games against the Browns, the Steelers have trouble with these types of runners. Cleveland had few issues on the ground in both games against Pittsburgh, and Houston has potential to have just as much success, if not more. 

Foster has had a terrific 2014 season, with 513 rushing yards and five touchdowns. He has rushed for over 100 yards in four of five games, including a season-high 157 yards and two touchdowns in Week 5 against the Dallas Cowboys.

One of the reasons Foster is so successful is his ability to cut back against the flow and find running lanes. Cleveland had success running misdirection plays against the Steelers, and this is something that Houston can exploit as well.

With Tomlin recognizing what Foster can do as a running back, the Steelers will certainly game-plan to stop him. However, sometimes talent trumps schemes, and Foster is one of those running backs who can run against virtually every defense.

Thomas against Houston’s center, Chris Myers—a two-time Pro Bowler—is a mismatch in favor of the Texans. It is important for the Steelers to have a nose tackle who can anchor against the run and occupy blockers to free up the linebackers to make plays.

In his short time with the Steelers, Thomas has not shown the ability to do either of these. Needless to say, he has not endeared himself in Pittsburgh.

Unless Thomas can have a strong game in the trenches, Foster will have plenty of running lanes to choose from and gash Pittsburgh’s defense. The inability to stop the Texans’ ground game will allow Houston to dictate the tempo of the game and exploit the Steelers for big plays.

Antonio Brown vs. Jonathan Joseph and Kareem Jackson

Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

Todd Haley’s play selection over the past two games has been nothing short of bizarre.

Too much passing in Jacksonville. Too much rushing in Cleveland. What can we expect next?

No matter what the play selection is, the one area that the Steelers must improve is getting the ball in the hands of Antonio Brown.

Over the first four games of the season, Brown averaged over seven receptions and nearly 107 yards per game with five touchdowns. During this stretch, Pittsburgh averaged 23.5 points per game. Since then, Brown has not been a focal point of the offense, and it has struggled.

Despite 12 receptions for 202 yards over the past two games, Brown has not scored, and the Steelers have averaged only 13.5 points per game, including one defensive score. Part of the reason is that Brown has not been involved in the flow of the game.

Against Jacksonville, it took a late pass when they could have killed the clock to get him a fifth reception, and he did not have his first catch until 2:22 left in the first half against Cleveland. That is not the best use of one of the top receivers in the game.

Before I harp too much on the Steelers, Cleveland did a great job double-teaming Brown. That forced Markus Wheaton into a starring role, and he was not up to the task. That means that Haley must design plays to get the ball in Brown’s hands this week.

The Texans are the perfect opponent to get Brown back to being a major part of the game plan. They have struggled against No. 1 receivers, and there are few with as much talent as Brown.

The Colts were able to exploit the Texans’ defensive backs last week with T.Y. Hilton, per Tania Ganguli of ESPN.com:

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Bomb after bomb went Hilton's way. He beat at least three different Texans defensive backs in one-on-one coverage and sometimes created space for himself to the point where there were no Texans around him. He caught passes of 49, 40, 37 and 33 yards and was part of why the Texans now lead the NFL in allowing plays that gain 30-plus yards. The Texans have allowed 12 -- 11 passes and one run. 

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So far this year, the Steelers have eight passes of 30 yards or longer, and they have a chance to grow this number. As noted above, the Texans have had trouble against top receivers, and the top two cornerbacks—Jonathan Joseph and Kareem Jackson—have made few plays on the ball. They have combined for seven passes defended and one interception.

With Hilton going off on the Texans’ defensive backfield last week—nine receptions for 223 yards and a touchdown—the Steelers will look to exploit this matchup as well. Like Hilton, Brown has terrific speed, but he is a better route-runner and is shiftier. It sets up perfectly for a huge day for Pittsburgh’s top receiver.

The only thing that may prevent Brown from having a big game is the pressure Roethlisberger will face from Watt. As long as he has time to throw, Brown will once again be the focal point of the offense and help the offense live up to its potential.

Note: Unless otherwise noted, all stats are courtesy of ESPN.com, and all roster information is courtesy of Steelers.com.  

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