Texans fall to 0-3 after porous second half against Steelers

Photo courtesy of Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

Call it what you want -- a tough schedule, a slow start, or a combination of both -- the Texans are 0-3.

Houston was handed their third straight loss to open the season on Sunday, falling 28-21 to a talented Pittsburgh Steelers team that rallied in the second half to take the victory despite a pedestrian start to the contest.

It was about as much of a Texans start as one could ever think of. After receiving the ball first to begin the game, Houston promptly went three and out and punted the ball away to the Steelers in less than a minute. Pittsburgh would proceed to go 63 yards in eleven plays and just over five minutes to score the first points of the game, courtesy of a Chris Boswell field goal.

Once again forced to play from behind to start a game, Deshaun Watson and the Texans rallied for a quick touchdown, needing only seven plays to put themselves on the board with a touchdown. Watson found a streaking Randall Cobb on a deep crossing route, and Cobb would scamper into the end zone to give Houston the lead in the first.

Houston would manage to score again to begin the second quarter, on a David Johnson run inside the Steelers' three yard line that he scored on untouched that put Houston up 14-3.

But, as the team had a propensity of doing, the defense began to falter. Pittsburgh would undertake a six and a half minute drive to cut the lead to 14-10 with a touchdown of their own. One Houston three and out later, and they would score again on a wide open JuJu Smith-Schuster touchdown reception that put them ahead 17-14 with just over a minute left in the half.

The Texans, however, didn't break. In what was likely their most impressive drive so far in the season, Deshaun Watson and the Texans went 75 yards in 50 seconds to snag a go-ahead touchdown to reclaim the lead just before the half. A Watson dime to Will Fuller V capped off the praiseworthy possession.

Unfortunately, everything fell apart after that. For the first time in three seasons, the Texans failed to score once in an entire half. Their four drives in the third and fourth quarters resulted in three punts and an interception. Houston only netted 41 total yards of offense in the second half.

Pittsburgh, however, kept their foot on the gas. After opening the third with a field goal, the Steelers would score the go-ahead touchdown midway through the fourth quarter, in what would prove to be the game-winning score. Houston would promptly go three and out, and Pittsburgh would put together an impressive drive to run out the clock and seal the victory.

It's the second time in three seasons that the Texans have gone 0-3. The last time they did so, back in 2018, they made the playoffs.

“Everybody knows 0-3 is not where we want to be,” coach Bill O’Brien said after the loss. “It's urgency more so than panic. There is no panic... we've got to get over the hump here somehow.”

It was another loss in which Houston's opponent ran all over them. Steelers' tailback James Connor rushed for 109 yards and a touchdown on the day. The Steelers as a team managed 169 total yards rushing. Houston, meanwhile, only had 23.

"You're not going to win football games doing what we do in the fourth quarter these last two weeks, giving up all of these runs," said Texans defensive end J.J. Watt. The Baltimore Ravens had similar success on the ground against the Texans in their Week 2 matchup.

Fortunately for the Texans, the schedule lightens up a tad in the coming weeks. Their next hardest game will come in Week 15 against the Indianapolis Colts in Lucas Oil Stadium. There are games mixed against the Tennessee Titans, Green Bay Packers, and New England Patriots mixed throughout the schedule, but it's safe to say their hardest games are behind them.

Houston returns home in Week 4 to face the 0-3 Minnesota Vikings at 12 PM CT on Sunday afternoon.