Houston 30, Pittsburgh 6
When: 1:00 PM ET, Sunday, October 1, 2023
Where: NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas
Temperature:
Dome
Head Official:
Bill Vinovich
Attendance:
71399
By Field Level Media
C.J. Stroud and Nico Collins hooked up for two touchdowns and the host Houston Texans took down the Pittsburgh Steelers 30-6 on Sunday for their second straight win.
On the same day the Texans (2-2) inducted former star defensive end J.J. Watt into their ring of honor, Houston held the Steelers to 12 first downs and outgained Pittsburgh 451-225. Stroud completed 16 of 30 passes for 306 yards, and Collins racked up seven catches for a career-high 168 yards.
Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett went 15-of-23 passing for 114 yards and an interception before suffering a left knee injury late in the third quarter. Mitch Trubisky played the rest of the game and could not guide Pittsburgh (2-2) out of its hole.
Najee Harris had 14 carries for 71 yards and a team-high 32 receiving yards on one catch.
The Texans opened the game with a 12-play, 69-yard touchdown drive. Stroud hit Collins from 2 yards out at the 8:55 mark of the first quarter.
Pickett took a deep shot on Pittsburgh's first possession and former Steeler Steven Nelson came down with the interception, returning it 31 yards for Houston.
That set up the first of three field goals for Ka'imi Fairbairn, his 36-yard kick putting Houston up 10-0 before the end of the first quarter.
Fairbairn added a 38-yarder with 12:09 left in the first half, sandwiched between two Pittsburgh three-and-outs.
Pittsburgh's last drive of the half was cut short after tight end Pat Freiermuth was called for offensive pass interference. With less than a minute, Stroud connected with Collins on catch-and-runs of 42 and 15 yards, setting up Fairbairn's 39-yard field goal at the buzzer for a 16-0 halftime lead.
The Steelers gained just 53 yards before halftime. Pittsburgh more than doubled that yardage total with the opening possession of the second half, but a 58-yard drive only yielded Chris Boswell's 35-yard field goal. They added Boswell's 23-yarder to make it 16-6 with 5:47 left in the third.
The Steelers then faced fourth-and-1 at Houston's 33-yard line and tried a pass. The pocket collapsed on Pickett and defensive end Jonathan Greenard recorded the sack. Pickett needed help getting off the field, unable to put weight on his left leg.
The Texans traveled 68 yards in 10 plays and scored on a trick play. Running back Devin Singletary took a pitch right and tossed a 6-yard touchdown to tight end Dalton Schultz with 10:50 left to play.
Stroud dropped a dime to Collins in stride for a 52-yard exclamation point score with 3:39 to play.
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
Receiving
| Pittsburgh |
|
Houston |
|
Najee Harris
|
Player |
Nico Collins
|
|
1 |
Receptions |
7 |
|
32 |
Yards |
168 |
|
32.0 |
Avg Yards |
24.0 |
|
0 |
Touchdowns |
2 |
|
32 |
Long |
52 |
Team Stats Summary
| |
Yards |
Scoring |
Defense |
| Team |
Tot |
Rus |
Pas |
TD |
FG |
INT |
Sck |
FF |
| Pittsburgh
|
225 |
114 |
111 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0.0 |
1 |
| Houston
|
451 |
139 |
312 |
3 |
3 |
1 |
3.0 |
2 |
Upcoming Games
-
Houston will play their next game on the road against Atlanta. The Texans have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .500 after a loss.
-
Pittsburgh will play their next game at home against Baltimore. The Steelers have a W/L % of .333 after a win and 1.000 after a loss.
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