The Texans were under the lights on Monday Night Football to play the Steelers, and Heinz Field was not kind to the Texans. Houston & Pittsburgh were once division rivals with the old Oilers, but this was only the 5th meeting between the cities since the Texans debuted in ’02.
With the terrible towels waving in the stands, the Texans had a horrendous last few minutes of the 1st half giving up 24 unanswered points & lost 30-23. Ben Roethlisberger was 23 of 33 for 265 yards & 2 TDs, and put the Steelers squarely back in the AFC playoff picture with the win.
The loss dropped the Texans under .500 for the 1st time this season, as they now sit at 3-4 in the AFC South with a big divisional game coming up against the Titans.
Here are six takeaways from the Steelers & Texans game, which has been dubbed the “Pick 6” …
Red zone turnovers were a killer in the 2nd quarter from hell
Everything changed late in the 2nd quarter with turnovers in the red zone that put the Texans behind, and for all intents & purposes, cost them the game. In less than a minute, an Arian Foster fumble & Steelers LB Brett Keisel’s interception 
gave the Steelers excellent field position that resulted in 2 TDs.
It is almost unbelievable to fathom there were 24 points in the last 2:54 before the half, but that’s what the Texans surrendered. Needless to say, gift wrapping that many points for the opposition in an NFL game will almost always result in a loss.
Texans blown coverages are becoming a consistent theme
Throughout the season, the Texans have had lapses in the secondary & have made receivers more wide open than the road along Route 66. Monday night was no different, as the Texans had big mistakes that ended up costing the team on the scoreboard.
On Pittsburgh’s 1st TD, rookie cornerback Andre Hal was beaten by the rookie WR Martavis Bryant for a wide open TD in the end zone. Then when Pittsburgh scored another TD right before the half, safety D.J. Swearinger was too preoccupied with calling out his teammates & left a wide open Le’Veon Bell to waltz into the end zone uncovered. Credit the Steelers for taking advantage of the breakdowns in the secondary, but this is an all too familiar refrain this season.
Brian Cushing is not the player he was before the injury
One of the best defensive players for the Texans since he entered the league, LB Brian Cushing has seen his past 2 seasons cut short by 
knee injuries. No one was expecting him to come back & be a world-beater initially, but it is now the 7th game of the season & there are no more excuses.
He has not regained his quickness, and is a shell of his former self. He was badly beaten on a play against Steelers RB Le’Veon Bell on a 3rd down conversion that helped to set up the Steelers’ 1st field goal. If Cushing cannot rebound & turn his season around, then the Texans have a huge contract on their hands for a player on the decline.
The Texans offense cannot put together 4 good quarters
The Texans have been criticized for not getting off to quick starts in 
recent games, but that wasn’t the case against the Steelers. The Texans scored on their first 3 possessions with a TD & 2 field goals.
Arian Foster had 75 yards in the 1st quarter with the rushing attack in full force, and ended up with another 100 yard rushing game. Unfortunately, the Texans offense was stymied & subpar after that initial burst until re-emerging late in the 4th quarter to put points on the board.
Ryan Fitzpatrick was inconsistent & once again, the question becomes at what point does Bill O’Brien ditch his journeyman game manager & play Ryan Mallet, who might actually have a future as the QB?
Texans piled up miscues like they should have been piling yards
Besides the obvious red zone turnovers, the Texans had too many additional gaffes. With the game in the balance in the 4th quarter, the Texans were called for a penalty with 12 men on the field on a critical 3rd down play that gave the Steelers the ball.
Those things cannot happen, especially in the waning moments of a ballgame. Danieal Manning did not have a good game returning kicks, and his muffed kick return was a key contributor to the Steelers onslaught at the end of the 1st half.
WR Damaris Johnson had a catch deep in the red zone fly through his hands on 3rd down, and DeAndre Hopkins had a fumble where he did not protect the ball well.
It’s all about proper execution, and the Texans had too many mistakes to win. As Texans head coach Bill O’Brien said after the game, “We have to fix these things. We have to coach it better, and we have to play better.”
The Texans D did have some Mercilus moments
If there was a bright spot in the game, it was the Whitney Mercilus awakening. The 2012 1st round draft pick caused a fumble, had a sack, and had a huge tackle for a loss.
The Texans have been waiting a couple of years for their pass rushing LB to come around, and perhaps he is finally coming into his own. With Jadeveon Clowney expected to return to the lineup soon, it’s good to see Mercilus playing well alongside the ever-extraordinary J.J. Watt, who had another sack & set a team record with his 9th career fumble recovery.
-HST Contributor R.G. Seal
