The Texans needed a touchdown to keep pace with the Steelers early in their Christmas Day showdown. What they didn’t need is T.J. Yates to throw for it.
Texans had TJ Yates pass on 3rd, 4th-and-goal from the 1. It went exactly like you’d think
Just. Run. The. Ball.
Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images
Houston squandered back-to-back plays from inside the Steelers 1-yard line, forcing the ball into Yates’ hands instead of a more conservative handoff call. The third-string quarterback failed to find the end zone, badly overthrowing DeAndre Hopkins on third-and-goal before slinging an interception to Artie Burns on fourth down.
The interception negated any positive effect from pushing the Steelers so far into their own territory. Rather than starting their ensuing drive in the shadow of their own goal line, Burns’ pick pushed Pittsburgh out to the 20.
What this means for the Texans: Houston trailed within five minutes of starting this game, so getting some early points were paramount to the team’s upset chances. Instead of taking the safe route — in several regards — head coach Bill O’Brien put his hopes on a quarterback who was unsigned just weeks earlier. The drive ended with zero points, and Pittsburgh’s less-depressing field position has helped spark a scoring drive Ben Roethlisberger has pushed deep into Houston territory.
What this means for T.J. Yates: Through 25 minutes of play, he’s completed as many passes to Texans receivers (one) as Steelers cornerbacks.
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