NFL GAME DAY DISCUSSION Wild Card Monday: Texans at Steelers

[Ross12]

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Their total defense is on another level. Their pass defenses are comparable. The Texans are a complete defense. You can run on the Chargers.

The Texans have a moderately better overall defense than the Chargers, but both are very good defenses. However, the Chargers have a better offense - especially if Houston is missing Nico Collins - and the Chargers scored a whopping 3 points on New England.

NE may not score more than ~14-17 points on Houston, but that could likely be enough when Houston’s top weapons are… let me check my notes… CJ Stroud, Woody Marks, and Christian Kirk, being led by offensive coordinator Nick Caley.

 

[scott99]

Two things I like in our favor. Maye is one of the best QBs in the league vs pressure, I think he had an over 100 QB rating vs pressure. And I like that people don’t mention the Pats defense, they overlook it as a strength. They think the Pats are a high scoring team with an average defense. They gave up the 4th least amount of points. 8th in passing yards against, 6th in rushing yards against.

Pats average 28.8 points a game and 18.8 points against per game. Now with Willams and Spillane back, their defense is even better. Texans are tough, I think they are getting hot at the right time (10 in a row I think). But I think the Pats can fluster Stroud. He can still be dangerous, and even if they don’t have Collins, they still have good receivers, a good running game, and a good TE, but I think the Pats are probably 3 points better. I can see a 20-17 type of game.

 

[ScottishPatriots]

CJ Stroud isn't any better than Herbert, the Texans defense is going to have the same issue the Chargers had.

All these defenses breakdown and tire if you can possess the ball and their offense struggles, soon as the pass rush starts to tire and slow down they all get picked apart, we see it every year in the 4th Q of big playoff games.

It always ends up with QBs seemingly having all day to sling it at the end of these games.

 

[Vindicate]

That was a brutal walkoff.

Steelers fans screaming at him to retire.

Steelers could've had Flacco at least, I don't know why they went with Rodgers. Tomlin should be let go on that decision alone. Seeing your QB clock out as soon as the game got a little out of reach is roughhhhhh.

 

[Rob0729]

The Texans have a moderately better overall defense than the Chargers, but both are very good defenses. However, the Chargers have a better offense - especially if Houston is missing Nico Collins - and the Chargers scored a whopping 3 points on New England.

NE may not score more than ~14-17 points on Houston, but that could likely be enough when Houston’s top weapons are… let me check my notes… CJ Stroud, Woody Marks, and Christian Kirk, being led by offensive coordinator Nick Caley.

Yeah, plus the Browns and Bills have great pass defenses too and Maye did well against both of them.

The Texans have a great defense, but they aren’t the Legion of Boom or the 2000 Ravens or the 85 Bears.

And as you said, their offense isn’t great especially if Collins doesn’t play.

 

[NFL Mystique]

Two things I like in our favor. Maye is one of the best QBs in the league vs pressure, I think he had an over 100 QB rating vs pressure. And I like that people don’t mention the Pats defense, they overlook it as a strength. They think the Pats are a high scoring team with an average defense. They gave up the 4th least amount of points. 8th in passing yards against, 6th in rushing yards against.

Pats average 28.8 points a game and 18.8 points against per game. Now with Willams and Spillane back, their defense is even better. Texans are tough, I think they are getting hot at the right time (10 in a row I think). But I think the Pats can fluster Stroud. He can still be dangerous, and even if they don’t have Collins, they still have good receivers, a good running game, and a good TE, but I think the Pats are probably 3 points better. I can see a 20-17 type of game.

There is pressure and than there are sacks. No QB can escape a defender in their face within two seconds or so of snapping the ball. It happened to Brady. It happened to Mahomes. It's unavoidable if the OL isn't good.

 

[Rob0729]

Two things I like in our favor. Maye is one of the best QBs in the league vs pressure, I think he had an over 100 QB rating vs pressure. And I like that people don’t mention the Pats defense, they overlook it as a strength. They think the Pats are a high scoring team with an average defense. They gave up the 4th least amount of points. 8th in passing yards against, 6th in rushing yards against.

Pats average 28.8 points a game and 18.8 points against per game. Now with Willams and Spillane back, their defense is even better. Texans are tough, I think they are getting hot at the right time (10 in a row I think). But I think the Pats can fluster Stroud. He can still be dangerous, and even if they don’t have Collins, they still have good receivers, a good running game, and a good TE, but I think the Pats are probably 3 points better. I can see a 20-17 type of game.

As long as the pocket doesn’t collapse around Maye like it did last night, I am not that worried about the Texans pass rush. The problem last night was Mack kept on blocking Campbell right into Maye and Wilson allowed the rush up the middle stopping Maye from either stepping up or scrambling out of the pocket.

I fully expect that McDaniels will come up with a game plan to make sure that doesn’t happen again. It may not work, but McDaniels is one of the best in the league in devising game plans to minimize weaknesses.

 

[scott99]

There is pressure and than there are sacks. No QB can escape a defender in their face within two seconds or so of snapping the ball. It happened to Brady. It happened to Mahomes. It's unavoidable if the OL isn't good.

All he needs is an extra 0.5 seconds, I think they can find a way to do that.

 

[Vindicate]

Kinda reminds me of Legion of Boom defense, they just stayed in their lane and never switched up. Generate pressure with 4.

Texans LB Shaair is an enforcer, the kind of player you say is dirty if you're playing against him. Gonna be gassed tf up when we play. Tone setter.

 

[PlainOldEd]

Did you honestly hear that through your TV or just assume it? It looked to me like they were cheering him as he left the field.

I heard at least one fan yell "retire!"

 

[JonBonesJones84]

Wrong. They are #4 run defense in the league. They excel at that.

The Patriots are not a running team. The Texans have not played a passing offense like New England's all year. Not only that, they haven't played a passing offense as good as New England's other than the first game.

When they've played good passing offenses, they've given up 27 and 29 points. Somehow they gave up 30 to the Colts as well.

The Rams don’t count with Nacua and Adams both healthy?!

 

[Brick27]

Hopefully Steelers fans in general handling it better than these classics..

 

[upstater1]

The Rams don’t count with Nacua and Adams both healthy?!

Don't count as what?

 

[upstater1]

Did you honestly hear that through your TV or just assume it? It looked to me like they were cheering him as he left the field.

Yes, I heard it. You can watch the replay.

 

[PatsFan2]

As long as the pocket doesn’t collapse around Maye like it did last night, I am not that worried about the Texans pass rush. The problem last night was Mack kept on blocking Campbell right into Maye and Wilson allowed the rush up the middle stopping Maye from either stepping up or scrambling out of the pocket.

I fully expect that McDaniels will come up with a game plan to make sure that doesn’t happen again. It may not work, but McDaniels is one of the best in the league in devising game plans to minimize weaknesses.

Can't leave our Tackles on a Island: we cannot go empty sets gotta chip constantly. We need Excellent Guard and Center Play so Maye can step up. Some design QB runs will have to be sprinkled in to keep that Defense honest.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Can you really determine that without full diagnosis? I don’t think it’s that simple.

While this isn't definitive, Gonzo was in the locker room when the media came through.

 

[Patriot Missile]

Take the over by a lot for Boutte. Predicting a big day if they rush all game.

 

[JonBonesJones84]

Yeah, plus the Browns and Bills have great pass defenses too and Maye did well against both of them.

The Texans have a great defense, but they aren’t the Legion of Boom or the 2000 Ravens or the 85 Bears.

And as you said, their offense isn’t great especially if Collins doesn’t play.

I mean neither were the Eagles last year and look how they managed to rape the Chiefs’ o-line and Mahomes in the Super Bowl.

Someone here said it that the game comes down to the trenches.

 

[JonBonesJones84]

Don't count as what?

You said that the Texans haven’t played an offensive juggernaut all year long. Obviously they did so on the road against the Rams with a healthy Adams and Nacua; who put up some very solid numbers against that defense

 

[GreenCow]

He literally posted an entire list of stats showing how they’re comparable.

Maybe you can find a Bills forum where everyone will agree with you that the Pats suck? I don’t know what your goal is here, seems like it’s just to troll… Let’s try to behave.

Oh give me a break Ross. You have known me well enough for many years to know I don’t troll. I call a spade a spade.

The Pats clearly don’t suck. And I never said they did! (where did you get that from!?). I simply said Houston is more dangerous and i’d rather face the Pats than Houston because of that defense. You can look at my posts on the Bills forum and see that I was rooting for a wild card spot for several weeks because I didn’t want any chance of playing Houston before the AFCCG (or ever, really). I’ll be rooting for the Pats this weekend.

That being said, there is no analyst in the NFL who would put the Chargers defense anywhere in the same universe as Houston’s. None. Perhaps some of you haven’t been paying attention to Houston this year, but their defense is generational. Top 20 ALL TIME.

I’m a Pats fan this week.