The Houston Texans are bringing arguably the best defense in the National Football League into Pittsburgh for the Wild Card matchup against the Steelers. And it’s almost exclusively what people are talking about for this matchup. How can Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers and his offensive line handle the Texans’ mighty pass rush? And how will the Steelers be able to attack a talented Texans secondary?
But what about the Steelers’ defense? Yes, the defense had an up-and-down season. But they picked off 15 passes this season, and the Steelers actually have more sacks than the Texans. Former Steelers G Willie Colon thinks the Steelers’ defense should take this matchup personally.
“All week, we’ve talked about this Texans defense and these edge rushers and how great they are,” Colon said Monday on Good Morning Football. “But I’m looking around like, do we not have T.J. Watt, who won Defensive Player of the Year? Do we not have Cameron Heyward, do we not have Jalen Ramsey, Queen, Joey Porter Jr., do we not have Alex Highsmith? This is a call to action to the Steelers’ defense. I would get so sick and tired about this No. 1 defense. They earned it, I’m not going to take that away from them.
“But this is where defense lives, in Pittsburgh. The whole foundation of Pittsburgh Steelers is about defense. This defense is the highest-paid defense in the National Football League. And I would feel some type of way if I’m T.J. Watt and company. People talk about them all you want. But this is a call to action to the big boys up front. They have to dominate this game. They have to make C.J. Stroud see ghosts.
“They have to make the Texans want to pick up their barbecue and take it back to Houston.”
The Steelers and defense are synonymous. The Steel Curtain of the 70s. The defense of the 2000s and 2010s, headlined by players like Hall of Fame S Troy Polamalu. The sheer number of Hall of Fame defensive players who spent time in Pittsburgh is staggering. This is a franchise with defense in its DNA.
And they’ve got big-name defenders taking the field now, too. Colon listed them, and it’s a big reason why people expected big things out of this defense this year. But it has been an up and down year, no doubt.
The last time we saw the Steelers take the field, they faced a win-or-go-home game against the Baltimore Ravens. And it was a mixed bag from the defense. They allowed three big touchdowns on some busted plays. But they picked off Ravens QB Lamar Jackson once and sacked him three times. And the Steelers limited RB Derrick Henry after a dominant first quarter.
A big part of that effort came from the big boys Colon mentioned. Rookie DL Derrick Harmon had one of those three sacks. Fellow defensive linemen Keeanu Benton and Cam Heyward led the Steelers with seven total tackles each. They’ll need to continue to make plays against the Texans.
Texans QB C.J. Stroud is not the same caliber of quarterback that a healthy Lamar Jackson is. And Texans RB Woody Marks is certainly no Henry. The Steelers’ defense should have an easier task this week than they did their last time out.
And if the Steelers want to snap their streak of playoff futility, the defense needs to be the type of defense that Pittsburgh is known for. Because even if the Texans’ defense plays well, the Steelers will certainly have a good chance of winning this game if the Texans’ offense doesn’t move the ball much at all. And Colon’s former teammate, two-time Super Bowl winning QB Ben Roethlisberger, believes the Steelers can beat the Texans specifically because of the Steelers’ defense.
