It's a prime time matchup of .500 teams when the Pittsburgh Steelers (3-3) host the Houston Texans (3-3) on Monday Night Football. Both teams entered the season with playoff expectations but have been up-and-down through the first six weeks of the season.
‘Monday Night Football,’ Texans vs. Steelers 2014: Which AFC team will find its footing?
The Texans and Steelers look to get over .500 in a “Monday Night Football” battle at Heinz Field.
Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
The Steelers have alternated wins and losses in their first six games and now sit in the cellar of a very competitive AFC North. If the team is going to generate any momentum toward a playoff berth, it could come in the next three weeks. The Steelers begin a three-game homestand Monday night against the Texans, followed by games against the Baltimore Ravens and Indianapolis Colts.
Not only does Pittsburgh have to overcome its inconsistent performance on the field, but it's also facing criticism off the field from two legendary alumni. Former head coach Bill Cowher and all-time leading receiver Hines Ward both labeled the team as "soft" following its 31-10 loss to the Cleveland Browns last week.
The Texans dropped two straight after a promising 3-1 start, falling back to .500 and behind the Colts in the division race. The losses came by a combined eight points, losing in overtime to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 5 and falling just short in rallying from a 24-0 deficit against the Colts in Week 6.
Houston’s path to the playoffs will likely come via the wild card, with the Colts looking like the cream of the crop in the AFC South and already owning a head-to-head win over the Texans this season. It appears to be a near-lock that one of the wild cards will come out of the AFC West, leaving Houston to compete with the AFC North and AFC East for the final berth. That makes this game between the Steelers and Texans one to watch with playoff implications for both teams.
NFL Week 7
Digits
The Steelers' offense has had little trouble moving the ball, ranking sixth in the league in yards per game (396.5), but has really struggled to put points on the board, averaging just 20.7 points per game (23rd in NFL). The problem starts in the red zone, where it has scored a touchdown on only 37 percent of its drives inside the 20-yard line. That is the second-worst rate in the league, ahead of only the Arizona Cardinals (33 percent). If the Steelers can't fix their red zone woes, they're going to have trouble keeping pace in a division where every team is at .500 or better after six weeks.
The biggest concern for the Texans right now is a frustrating pattern that appears to be developing in their losses -- listless starts, followed by fruitless rallies, resulting in disappointing defeats. In Week 3, Houston closed a 17-point deficit against the New York Giants to within a touchdown in the fourth quarter but still lost. In Week 5, Houston sent the game into overtime after the Cowboys had built a 17-7 advantage in the fourth quarter, before losing 20-17. And last week the Texans nearly came back from a 24-0 first-quarter deficit against the Colts, falling just short in a five-point defeat. What this all adds up to is a -8 point differential in the first half (19th in NFL) and a +23 point differential in the second half (fourth in NFL).
If the Steelers are going to climb back into playoff contention, this game sets up perfectly for a win. Pittsburgh has won 15 straight home games on Monday Night Football, the longest such streak in the history of the series. Its last defeat came on Oct. 14, 1991 against the Giants, losing on a late fourth-quarter field goal by Matt Bahr.
Who to watch
Ben Roethlisberger is coming off one of the more humiliating performances of his career, completing a season-low 50 percent of his passes in the 31-10 loss to the Browns -- a team he had an 18-1 record against coming into the game. While not all of the offensive issues can be blamed on Roethlisberger, the lack of an explosive passing game has become a problem for the team. Big Ben has thrown one or fewer touchdowns in four of six games this season and his Total QBR of 60.8 ranks just 21st out of 33 qualified quarterbacks. The Steelers need a balanced offense to win games, and they won't get it unless Roethlisberger improves his performance the rest of the season.
Arian Foster might be one of the more underrated players in the league, quietly piling up yards and points for a team that is 5-17 since the start of last season. Despite missing one game and playing through injury in another, Foster ranks third in the NFL in both rushing yards (513) and carries (106) this year. Foster is no stranger to the end zone, and has become a fantasy darling when healthy. Since his first full season in 2010, no player has rushed for more touchdowns than Foster (47). The Texans need a productive Foster on the field (and not in the trainers room) if they are going to challenge the Colts for the AFC South crown this season.
How to watch
Where: Heinz Field, Pittsburgh
When: 8:30 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Announcers: Mike Tirico, Jon Gruden, Lisa Salters
Online Streaming: WatchESPN
The venue
Heinz Field opened in 2001, replacing the historic Three Rivers Stadium, which was home to the Steelers for more than 30 years. The stadium sits on the banks of the Allegheny River with picturesque views of the Pittsburgh skyline and is one of the landmarks of this blue-collar city. The most notable parts of the motif are two large, fake Heinz ketchup bottles at the top of the Jumbotron that tip and pour ketchup on the scoreboard when the Steelers enter the red zone. Despite the presence of those ketchup bottles, the stadium has also been nicknamed The Mustard Palace by fans because of its yellow seats.
Odds
The Steelers are 3-point favorites and the over/under is set at 44.5, according to OddsShark.com.
Preliminary judgment
Our experts here at SB Nation are slightly favoring the Steelers to win at home, with four of the seven guys picking Pittsburgh. The panel at CBS Sports is similarly split with five of eight taking the Steelers, while ESPN’s experts are mostly going with Pittsburgh (11 of 13).
Further reading
For more on the Texans, head over to Battle Red Blog.
To read up on the Steelers, be sure to check out Behind The Steel Curtain.
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