For the second straight week on Monday Night Football a controlled first half meant nothing as a three minute meltdown from the Houston Texans all but surrendered the game to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
While their performance was short of dominant to that point they were in control until the wheels fell off courtesy of turnovers and long plays surrendered to a very grateful Pittsburgh team. A scramble on their final onside kick almost gave them a chance to win the game in the final two minutes of the second half. Ultimately, it was the Steelers who won the game in the final knockings of the first half.
Houston Texans – Performances of Note
Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB: +4.1
Breakdown: It still isn’t time for Ryan Mallett after Fitzpatrick put in another strong display in defeat for the Texans last night. Under duress for much of the night Fitzpatrick showed poise with some quality throws under pressure leading the Texans back to the brink of a comeback on their final drive.
Signature Stat: Pressured on 20 of his 37 dropbacks, Fitzpatrick earned a +3.2 passing grade on those plays completing 8 of 15 passes for 144 yards and one touchdown.
Chris Myers, C: -3.2
Breakdown: A tough night for Myers against a physical Steelers defensive line that got into him early and didn’t let up. He had his moments when he was able to use his athleticism to reach defensive linemen or work to the second level. Yet,all too often the Steelers’ linemen were able to get into him and bully him physically, particularly in pass protection.
Signature Stat: His six pressures surrendered last night are tied for a single game high in the last seven years (Week 16 vs Denver last season).
J.J. Watt, DE: +1.8
Breakdown: A quiet night by Watt’s lofty standards, at least in the second half where the Steelers did a good job of minimizing his impact after a busy first half. Five of Watt’s six pressures came in the first half and his second half also missed a pair of missed tackles behind the line of scrimmage. It speaks volumes of Watt’s standards that a five pressure, three stop night is a considered a “quiet” performance.
Signature Play: Exploited an opportunity to take on Kelvin Beachum one-on-one in space for his only sack in the game during the second quarter at 7:10, beating him to the inside. The Steelers didn’t repeat this mistake in the second half.
Pittsburgh Steelers – Performances of Note
Le’Veon Bell, RB: +3.5
Breakdown: Just another 155 all purpose yards from Bell last night on 20 touches. He forced five missed tackles in total last night and too often was able to simply beat the first wave of defenders and run into acres of space to extend simple plays into long gains.
Signature Play: Kick started the Steelers’ first field goal drive with a third down conversion in the second quarter with 5:42 left, comprehensively beating Brian Cushing out of the backfield in one-on-one coverage for a 43 yard gain.
Jason Worilds, OLB: +7.7
Breakdown: Going up against Derek Newton this season hasn’t been the free pass for pass rushers that it was last year but Worilds reminded us all of Newton’s early career form in a destructive display last night. No hits or sacks but Worilds racked up seven hurries on Ryan Fitzpatrick and added four stops in run defense for good measure.
Signature Play: At the first play after the two minute warning (Q4) Worilds drove Derek Newton back into Ryan Fitzpatrick as he threw.
Antonio Brown, WR: +2.6
Breakdown: What more can you say about Brown who at this point might be one of the most under-appreciated players in the league? He’s not the prototypical No. 1 wide receiver in terms of size and stature. However in terms of performance, he is absolutely among the league’s elite. Adding a touchdown pass for a bit of variety this week Brown picked up his customary catches and yards with style, particularly on his 30 yard gain to setup Shaun Suisham’s penultimate field goal.
Signature Stat: Stretching his streak of five catch and 50 yard games to 19 Brown also registered his 10th straight game with a positive PFF receiving grade.
PFF Game Ball
Another spectacular performance from Le’Veon Bell who supplemented a light workload in the ground game with impact plays as a receiver to keep the Steelers moving forward whenever he got the ball.
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