Dec 24, 2017 By Jim Wexell For The 10 min read

MEMORABLE SERIES MOMENT

Texans 24, Steelers 6

Dec. 8, 2002, at Heinz Field

The only time these two have met in December resulted in one of the most freakish losses in Steelers history. The Steelers outgained the Texans, 422-47, and had 40 minutes of possession time to the Texans’ 20, yet were blown out thanks to three defensive scores by the Texans against Tommy Maddox’s offense: 40-yard fumble return, 70-yard interception return, 65-yard interception return. The Steelers may have held the Texans to 37 yards rushing on 26 carries, but the loss cost the Steelers the top seed in the AFC playoffs. The Texans finished 4-12.

HARRISON RELEASED

The Steelers released 39-year-old outside linebacker James Harrison to make room for Marcus Gilbert, who was activated off the suspended list.

With four other outside linebackers, Harrison, who doesn’t play special teams, was deemed expendable after making only five appearances with three tackles this season.

Harrison, of course, can be re-signed by the team next week, as is often the case with Saturday releases.

The 15th-year veteran is the Steelers’ all-time sacks leader with 80.5. He has 691 tackles with the Steelers, 20 passes defensed, 32 forced fumbles and seven fumble recoveries. He also has two rings, a 100-yard interception return for a touchdown in a Super Bowl and 11 post-season sacks.

TALE OF THE TAPE

“I look at the Houston defense and see a depleted unit that’s had a lot of injuries, the latest being a key one in D.J. Reader. So right now it’s all about Jadeveon Clowney. He is a true predator. You watch this guy go: nine sacks, 20 quarterback hits, 20 tackles for loss. This guy plays every position on the front seven. They play him at all linebacker positions, even lining up over center in sub-package/pass-rush situations. This guy just comes hard every down. He’s truly something to watch because he’s a non-rhythmic pass-rusher who will go slow then accelerate and hit you with a move. This is all about taking care of Clowney. You take care of Clowney and you’ve got roughly 60 percent of their pass-rush handled.” — Steelers Radio analyst Craig Wolfley.

TOP QUESTION

Can the Steelers get off the deck for a Christmas day game on the road against a 4-10 team?

The Steelers are coming off a stretch of six games in which four prime-time appearances were bookended by a walk-off win at Indianapolis and a Game-of-the-Year type, last-second loss to the defending champion at home. The four prime-time games included two walk-off wins and another — over the second-place team in the division — that was won with 42 seconds left. It would be difficult to find a similarly emotional stretch in team history. But the players were on their toes throughout this practice week and say they’re up for Monday’s game in Houston. “We’ve been through so much adversity,” said Maurkice Pouncey. “This team’s strong.”

THREE QUESTIONS:

With WR MARTAVIS BRYANT

Q: You played with some great receivers at Clemson, one of whom, DeAndrew Hopkins, you’ll see in Houston. What was the room like there?

MB: “We had me, Sammy (Watkins), DeAndre, Adam Humphries, Charone Peake, Jaron Brown. Everybody’s in the NFL right now. It was very competitive but also a lot of guys had to wait their turn. Everybody accepted it. We were never hating on each other. We always said we’ve got to play hard and everybody went out there and made the best of it.”

Q: You were behind Hopkins. Did that motivate you?

MB: “We played against each other in high school and both came out together but I had to go to military school so he had a headstart on me and was already developed and so I played behind him and Sammy. It wasn’t because I was lacking. They just didn’t play me — because I also didn’t listen (laughs). I guess that had a part to do with it, too. Man, I just didn’t like school period. I’m not a school person.”

Q: You made a couple of big catches last week. With Antonio Brown out this week, do you feel on the verge of being that go-to guy again?

MB: “Yeah. I’m ready to get back to it, man. Coming down to crunch time now. I can’t make excuses any more. I can’t say I’m coming back into it each week. It’s now or never.”

GAME BREAKDOWN

What can the Steelers expect from the Texans on Monday afternoon at NRG Stadium:

ON OFFENSE

Injuries continue to hurt the Texans as center Nick Martin, their best offensive lineman, was placed on IR this week. Previously, the Texans had lost their quarterback (Deshaun Watson), left tackle (Chris Clark), tight end (C.J. Fiedorowicz), slot receiver (Bruce Ellington) and backup running back (D’Onta Foreman). Their backup QB (Tom Savage) went down with a concussion, so they called on old standby T.J. Yates, whom they had signed in November and who in two previous stints compiled a 5-4 record (1-1 in playoffs) before starting last week’s 45-7 loss to the Jaguars. Still healthy though are an elite WR, Hopkins, and a RB, Lamar Miller, with 1,113 yards from scrimmage.

ON DEFENSE

Reader, a nose tackle, had moved to defensive end to replace J.J. Watt when the three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year was placed on IR following a Week 5 leg injury. The Texans also lost OLB Whitney Mercilus in the same game. Their linebackers, led by wild-card “jack” Clowney, are the strength of the defense. Brian Cushing moved over to replace Mercilus, Benardrick McKinney moved over to replace Cushing and second-round draft pick Zach Cunningham move into the lineup in Week 6. The Steelers, of course, will be without Brown, but tight end Vance McDonald returned this week, as did right tackle Marcus Gilbert.

PREDICTION

The Steelers are 6-1 on the road, but against the four teams with losing records — an awful .214 composite won-loss percentage — they’ve won three by three points (two walk-offs) and lost to the Bears in overtime. That helps the echoes of the 2002 loss to the 4-12 Texans reverberate in Pittsburgh. Coming off a brutal stretch of emotion-packed games, the Steelers are looking at a classic flat spot. However, they’ll have an extra day rest, are getting three key starters back, have the talent to compensate for the loss of Brown, and have too much at stake to allow a third-string quarterback to beat them in front of a stadium comprised of mainly Steelers fans. … Steelers, 27-14.

BY THE NUMBERS

1: Career interception by Vince Williams (last Sunday off Tom Brady).

36: Tackles for loss in the last two seasons by Clowney, only four behind the NFL’s leader, Chandler Jones. Cameron Heyward and Bud Dupree are tied for the Steelers’ lead with 18 each in the last two seasons.

78: Consecutive games played by Hopkins to start his career. He’s caught a pass in every game to give him the longest active streak to start a career, but he has a long way to go to match the modern-day NFL record of 190 by Marvin Harrison. The longest such streak by a Steelers WR is 87 by Santonio Holmes.

174: Consecutive games played by William Gay, the longest streak among active NFL defensive players.

200: The number of regular-season starts for Ben Roethlisberger when he takes the field in Houston. It will tie him for fourth in team history with Mel Blount, behind Mike Webster (220), Hines Ward (217) and Donnie Shell (201).

DOWNLOADS

n Steelers safety Sean Davis had 10 tackles last Sunday to give him 83 for the season, six behind Ryan Shazier, who’s on injured reserve, and seven ahead of Williams. It makes Davis the favorite to become the first safety to lead the Steelers in tackles since 2011 when Ryan Clark outackled Lawrence Timmons, 100-91.

n Texans cornerback Johnathan Joseph is one of two active NFL players (Terence Newman the other) with 25-plus interceptions (28) and 160-plus passes defensed (168), and that may be the reason teams are picking on the other cornerback, Kareem Jackson, who’s second on the team with 66 tackles. According to NFL.com’s Gil Brandt, Jackson has the highest “burn rate” in the league at 68 percent.

n After Jaguars QB Blake Bortles threw for 326 yards and three touchdowns in a 45-7 win over the Texans last Sunday, Clowney was asked about Bortles. “He’s trash,” said Clowney. Jaguars fans responded by sending several trash cans to Houston’s NRG Stadium. Clowney proceeded to fill them with toys and donated them to needy children for Christmas.

n Who’s the real “Tony Toe Tap”? Brown, of course, earned that nickname from Steelers teammates and is the acclaimed master at getting two feet down to secure sideline catches. But Hopkins is coming on strong as a contender. According to the Texans, Hopkins this season has caught 61 sideline passes for 866 yards, five touchdowns and 43 first downs, compared to Brown who has 42 sideline catches for 630 yards, four touchdowns and 30 first downs. “This guy,” Texans coach Bill O’Brien said of Hopkins, “the type of year he’s had with different quarterbacks, the catches he’s made … I think he’s the best receiver in the league.”

n The Texans’ defense is coordinated by Mike Vrabel, who was drafted by the Steelers in 1997 but didn’t find a niche until he joined the Patriots and won three rings. Vrabel also starred for the Patriots’, and eventually the Chiefs’, goal-line offenses with 12 career receptions for 17 yards and 12 touchdowns. Vrabel, at 6-4, 261, is built similarly to Steelers rookie T.J. Watt (6-4, 252), who was recruited by Wisconsin as a tight end. Could Watt help the Steelers’ 25th-ranked red-zone offense? “I could definitely see it,” said older brother J.J., a defensive lineman who himself has three touchdown catches as a goal-line tight end. “I hate to admit it, and I’ll still hold it over his head that I have more touchdowns than he does, but he does have the best hands out of the three of us (brothers). That kid can catch anything you throw his way. I wouldn’t put it past him. But he also is a rookie in the NFL and you don’t get those types of fun opportunities when you’re a rookie. Maybe a little bit farther down the line.”

PARTING SHOT

“He does a great job running routes. He does a great job combating for the catch. He is going to be a major problem for us to try and stop, so we have a lot of respect for him. We have some things we are going to try to do to limit him as much as we can. I don’t think you can stop him. I think you just try to minimize him as much as you can.” — Steelers defensive coordinator Keith Butler on DeAndre Hopkins.