HOUSTON TEXANS
(Sunday, Dec. 6, 8:20 p.m. at Acrisure Stadium)
Series (including playoffs): Steelers 5-4
Last meeting: Texans 30, Steelers 6 (2025-2026 postseason in Pittsburgh)
Coaching: HC: DeMeco Ryans; OC: Nick Caley; DC: Matt Burke; STC: Frank Ross
2025: 12-5, second AFC South Division (18th total offense; 1st total defense)
An ugly 0-3 start turned into a 3-5 first half, before a torrid nine-game winning streak ran the table on the regular season. A 10th consecutive win followed, in the playoff game in Pittsburgh, before a 28-16 playoff loss at New England ended the Texans' season. From the outside, the lights would seem to be bright for the Texans with their elite defense and young quarterback. But C.J. Stroud remains a polarizing figure to Texans fans. The former No. 2 overall draft pick enters his fourth season with a 93.5 career passer rating and 28-18 starting record. Will Stroud take the next step? Considering that three of the offense's playmakers were rookies last season, it's possible.
Key returnees
* DE Will Anderson had 12 sacks and led the Texans with 23 quarterback hits in being named to the Pro Bowl, first-team All-Pro, and finishing second in the voting for Defensive Player of the Year. It was Anderson's second Pro Bowl in three seasons.
* DE Danielle Hunter led the Texans with 15 sacks and had 22 QB hits in being named second-team All-Pro.
* CB Derek Stingley Jr. tied for the team lead with 4 interceptions and was second with 15 passes defensed in being named to the Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro.
* CB Kamari Lassiter finished third on the team with 91 tackles (second among NFL cornerbacks) and intercepted 4 passes to make the Pro Bowl.
* FS Calen Bullock was named to the Pro Bowl after tying for the team lead with 4 interceptions in his second pro season.
* ILB Azeez Al-Shaair led the team with 103 tackles in being named to his first Pro Bowl.
* WR Nico Collins was named to his second consecutive Pro Bowl after catching 71 passes for 1,117 yards (15.7 ypr.) and 6 TDs.
Key losses
* WR Christian Kirk was the Texans' primary target – with Collins being blanketed by Joey Porter Jr. – in the playoff win over the Steelers. Kirk caught 8 passes for 144 yards and a touchdown. But with two emerging rookie receivers and the return of the injured Tank Dell, the Texans let Kirk leave in free agency.
* OL Tytus Howard was traded to Cleveland for a fifth-round pick on the first day of free agency. Counting the playoffs, Howard started 18 games at left guard and right tackle last season.
Offseason additions
* RB David Montgomery was acquired in a trade with Detroit. The Texans gave up fourth and seventh-round picks and a reserve offensive lineman. Montgomery is a 230-pound power back entering his eighth NFL season. He rushed for a career-low 716 yards last season, but at his second-best career average (4.5 ypc.).
* RT Braden Smith was signed to a two-year contract the first day of free agency. He'll replace the twosome of Howard and Trent Brown. Smith, 30, started 105 games for the Colts.
* OG Wyatt Teller was signed to a two-year contract a week into free agency and will presumably replace the Howard/Jarrett Patterson combo at left guard. Teller, a 31-year-old former Pro Bowler, played 13 games for the Browns before finishing last season on the reserve/injured list.
* SS Reed Blankenship was signed in free agency to a three-year contract. Strong safety may have been the only hole left on a defense that ranked No. 1 in the NFL statistically. Blankenship, 27, had emerged as a fan favorite in Philadelphia after making 308 tackles with 9 interceptions in four seasons with the Eagles.
Days 1 & 2 draft picks
Round 1: G/C Keylan Rutledge, Georgia Tech, is a 316-pound run-blocker who made all 43 of his college starts at right guard. At the Senior Bowl, he played center. At Texans minicamp, he played left guard. He's an interior road-grader who needs to refine his pass protection.
Round 2: DT Kayden McDonald, Ohio State, was an example of nose tackles not going in the first round. So this 326-pound first-team All-American was drafted with the fourth pick of the second round in what looms as a steal by the Texans. The Laremy Tunsil trade in 2025 led to the Texans making this pick.
Round 2: TE Marlin Klein, Michigan, gives the Texans another contender (along with free agent Foster Moreau) for the spot behind Dalton Schultz, the tight end who led the Texans last season with 82 receptions. The 6-6, 248-pound, German-born Klein ran a 4.61 40 at the NFL Combine after the newcomer to the game started only 12 games in college.
Familiar face
Evan Hull spent the spring and summer of 2025 as a running back with the Steelers before he was released Aug. 22 after training camp. He was picked up by New Orleans and played in six games. He carried 19 times for 48 yards (2.5 ypc.) and returned 7 kickoffs at an average of 25.6 yards per return. He signed with the Texans on May 12.
Matching up with the Steelers
The Texans beat the Steelers, 30-6, in last season's playoffs, but it was a one-point game in the fourth quarter before the Texans forced two defensive touchdowns with their pressure defense. Had the Steelers held the slim lead, perhaps their pressure against the Texans' offensive line and quarterback would've done the same. The offensive line was the Texans' weakness last season and the reason why only one player – LT Aireontae Ersery, their 2025 second-round pick – is expected to return as a starter. The Texans focused most of their offseason on rebuilding the line in the hope of improving their 22nd-ranked rushing offense. They also added Montgomery to their backfield. Was it enough? Offensive line, running back, and quarterback are the question marks for a team with exceptional receiving weapons and an even-better-than-exceptional defense.
