Texans linebacker Jadeveon Clowney (knee) is listed as questionable to play in Monday's Week 7 battle with the Steelers after limited in practice for a second straight day Saturday. Clowney hasn't played since Week 1 while recovering from knee surgery. Linebacker Mike Mohamed (calf) is also questionable to play afer being limited all week. Cornerback Darryl Morris (anke) has been ruled out. The Texans have a whopping 12 players listed as probable to play Monday, including running back Arian Foster (groin), wide receivers Andre Johnson (ankle) and DeAndre Hopkins (hand), guard Brandon Brooks (illness), center Chris Myers (not injury related), offensive tackle Derek Newton (elbow), defensive ends J.J. Watt (thigh) and Tim Jamison (groin), cornerback Johnathan Joseph (knee) and linebackers Brian Cushing (knee), Brooks Reed (groin)
Did Daryl Morris snap his ankle in half on that INT? High ankle sprain? Sucks, because he looked like he was really picking it up. I also find it strange that Brooks Reed is already cleared for the game with the groin injury. Something tells me this is a bad idea. Same circumstance last year that put him out for the year. JJo having ankle and knee problems seem to be overcompensation factors. TY really did a number on him, and Derek Newton's elbow came out of left field? Chris Myers is of some interest and this extra time off will certainly heal up Watt's thigh. I doubted Braddock before with the Brandon Brooks being out and won't do so this time around. Clowney ain't playing.
I want to beat the Steelers bad. There is a long history between the teams, and it is Monday Night Football. Would be a sweet win whether the "clown" plays or not. Already tired of this guy. This is why Watt is a fan favorite, no drama, just football.
Clowney playing or not playing won't change the fact that odds are Braddock's report is BS. It simply doesn't make any sense given what we already know from more reputable sources.
when i was watching morris interception when he landed he bent his foot backward with the ankle and someone landed on him.
Help me out. What kind of history is there between the Texans and Steelers? I don't recall too much bad blood. Oilers?
Yeah, if they lose to the Stealers they should just give up on the season, should be a fairly easy win.
The Steelers are going to play hard tom...Considering that the Browns and the Bengals both lost, Pitt's going to be amped up to stay in the race with the Ravens. The wildcard spot in the AFC is really wide open...there are many contenders...and the teams that step up now may have a chance to getting in as a wildcard team. Tomorrow night's game has huge implications for both Teams.
I don't have ESPN, but will be game be on local channels? I heard somewhere that it was going to be on CW? Anyone confirm this?
What's in a number? Houston Texans vs. Pittsburgh Steelers Spoiler A by-the-numbers look at the Houston Texans-Pittsburgh Steelers matchup on Monday night at Heinz Field. 1: Tackle by Texans defensive end J.J. Watt in Houston’s 17-10 win against Pittsburgh in 2011, the last time the teams met. 3: Combined touchdowns by Steelers running backs Le'Veon Bell and LeGarrette Blount this season. 3: Touchdowns by Watt this season. 4: 100-yard rushing games by Texans running back Arian Foster in five contests this season. 5.9: Yards per play the Steelers are averaging, ninth-best in the NFL. 6: Steelers’ NFL rank in opponents’ third-down conversion rate (35.2 percent). 7: Texans’ NFL rank in turnover differential (plus four). 10: Times that the Steelers sacked Texans quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick in three previous games. 12: Quarterback pressures by Steelers outside linebackers through six games. 15: Games in which Steelers linebacker Lawrence Timmons has recorded at least 10 tackles since 2012. 21: Quarterback pressures by Steelers defensive ends Cameron Heyward and Brett Keisel. 22: Receptions Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson needs to pass Randy Moss for 10th on the NFL’s all-time list. 31: Steelers’ NFL rank in kickoff returns (18.6 yards per return). 36.8: Percentage of times the Steelers have scored touchdowns this season when they are inside opponents’ 20-yard line, second-worst in the NFL. 45.5: Percentage of times the Texans are allowing touchdowns when are opponents are inside their 20-yard line, third-best in the NFL. 70.4: Fitzpatrick’s career passer rating against the Steelers. 76.8: Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's passer rating in the fourth quarter this season, No. 23 in the NFL. 102.6: Foster’s average rushing yards per game. 132.2: Bell’s average yards from scrimmage. 629: Receiving yards by Antonio Brown, first in the AFC and the most by a Steeler through the first six games of a season. Precedence can be heeded or ignored for Monday night's Texans game Spoiler PITTSBURGH - History will have no more to do with Monday night's Texans-Steelers game than unicorns, the tooth fairy or the so-called momentum Houston picked up in its near comeback from a huge deficit against Indianapolis a week and a half ago. But history says this could be a tough night for the Texans. The Texans have played four night games on the road against quarterbacks who have played in Super Bowls. They lost them all, by an average of 26 points. The last three times Pittsburgh, which was trounced 31-10 by Cleveland last week, lost a game by 20 or more points, it bounced back the next week to win by at least 13 points and by an average of 18.3 points. The last time the Steelers lost a home game on a Monday night, Chuck Noll was their coach, and J.J. Watt was 2 years old. Again, though, what happened in the aforementioned contests has little to do with the present. Those who believe in momentum might think the Texans gained some with their spirited comeback that fell short against the Colts on Oct. 9. That's wishful thinking. Better thoughts are that the way the NFL is taking shape, the Texans have the playoffs as a realistic goal. A win in this one will help to that end, especially for a team that doesn't have a daunting road schedule. A first for Fitzpatrick Pittsburgh's middle-of-the-pack defense can be had, but as you should know by now, Ryan Fitzpatrick isn't particularly good, and he is usually worse on the road. Interestingly, this will be Fitzpatrick's first Monday night experience at quarterback. He wasin uniform for only one other Monday night game, but that was as a reserve. His only play came as the holder for an extra-point attempt that was blocked. Reliance on Arian Foster to ease the pressure on Fitzpatrick is part of the complementarity Texans coach Bill O'Brien always preaches. The Steelers allow a healthy 4.5 yards per rush, so expect the Texans to test the front seven in an attempt to control the ball and shorten the game. The Texans, who enter with the same 3-3 record as the Steelers, have been discussing their slow starts - only three teams have scored fewer than the Texans' 14 first-quarter points - for the past couple of weeks. "When you look back at the games, not to dwell on the past, but it's been an issue really," quarterbacks coach George Godsey said. "It's one thing throughout the phases, which offense is about everybody working together." The Texans rank 15th in time of possession, but were 23rd in points and yards per possession entering Sunday. Punter Shane Lechler is among the league leaders in number of punts. "I think staying on the field is the biggest thing for us," Fitzpatrick said. "Stringing drives together, you always love the explosive plays, and I'm not saying we want to avoid those. I'm saying we want to be able to string together some first downs, some good drives, keep the defense off the field and control the tempo. "Go at whatever pace we want to go at, all those things. I think that will be a big key for us this week." O'Brien and his staff seem to make quality adjustments; going into Sunday, the Texans were tied for sixth in the league in third-quarter points. A year ago, they ranked 30th in points in the period. That is the nature of the NFL. Certain statistics tend to cycle from up to down, from year to year. One uptick the Texans expect soon is in sacks and pressure on quarterbacks. The Texans have only 10 sacks, which is tied for 19th in the league, and rate even lower in sacks per pass attempt. The return of No. 1 pick Jadeveon Clowney, who hasn't played since he injured his knee in the first half of the season opener, could help in that regard and make life more difficult for the Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger. O'Brien said the decision on whether Clowney will play will be made just before game time. Clowney milestone? If Clowney plays, it will be his first professional road game. The last time Pittsburgh lost a Monday night home game was two years before he was born. The Texans have won 20 road games in which they weren't favored, so it isn't like they have never pulled a surprise away from home. One of their biggest was a 24-6 win at Pittsburgh in 2002, when the Texans entered as two-touchdown underdogs. Of course, none of the players in Monday's game had anything to do with that one either. Houston, Pittsburgh not exactly strangers to prime-time collisions Spoiler Monday’s game will be the first played in prime time between the Texans and the Steelers. But the Oilers faced the Steelers six times in nationally televised night games, winning three of them: Monday, Nov. 24, 1975, Astrodome: Under new coach Bum Phillips, the Oilers had gotten off to a 7-2 start and they were in playoff contention for the first time in six NFL seasons. Two weeks earlier, they’d almost pulled off an upset in Pittsburgh before losing 24-17. The team’s motto was “Hold the Rope,” so fans by the thousands were given little white ropes, Houston’s answer to Pittsburgh’s Terrible Towels, to twirl for the national TV cameras. But the defending Super Bowl champions dumped Dan Pastorini for an early safety to set the tone, then dominated the line of scrimmage the rest of the way, rushing for 228 yards and scoring three touchdowns on the ground in a 32-9 victory. The Oilers would finish 10-4 and, in that pre-wild-card era, miss the playoffs. Monday, Oct. 23, 1978, Three Rivers Stadium: The Steelers found out what they would be up against in Earl Campbell. The rookie Heisman Trophy winner and top draft pick had 21 carries for 89 yards and scored three touchdowns, the last one giving the Oilers a 24-10 lead en route to a 24-17 victory. That was Pittsburgh’s first loss in eight games and the Oilers’ first-ever Monday Night Football victory. But the Steelers would win the rematch in Houston (Campbell left early with a broken rib) and, of course, the AFC Championship Game. Monday, Dec. 10, 1979, Astrodome: The Steelers came in 11-3 and the Oilers were 10-4, putting them in the hunt for their first AFC Central title. The Steelers had romped 38-7 in Pittsburgh, but the Oilers got their revenge, rushing for 190 yards – 109 by Campbell – and intercepting Terry Bradshaw twice in a 20-17 victory. But the Steelers won the following week to claim the division and, more important, the home-field advantage once more in the playoffs. Thursday, Dec. 4, 1980, Astrodome: The Oilers forced five turnovers, intercepting Bradshaw three times and recovering two fumbles in a franchise reference-standard defensive effort. Tony Fritsch’s two field points accounted for the only points in a 6-0 victory. But the Steelers’ best days were behind them and they would finish 9-7, missing the playoffs. Still, the Oilers couldn’t take the division and they wound in Oakland for the wild-card game, losing 27-7 as the Raiders went on to win the Super Bowl. Monday, Oct. 26, 1981, Three Rivers Stadium: After falling behind early, the Oilers rallied in the fourth quarter to tie the score with about five minutes left on a 52-yard Kenny Stabler pass to Dave Casper and a Fritsch field goal, only to let the Steelers storm back and score on the their next possession. Stabler then threw an interception to essentially give Pittsburgh its final touchdown in a 26-13 victory. Neither team made the playoffs. Monday, Oct. 3, 1994, Three Rivers Stadium: With Warren Moon gone and Cody Carlson injured, the Bucky Richardson-quarterbacked Oilers were no match for a Steelers team heading back to the AFC Championship Game for the first time in a decade. Houston’s 30-14 defeat was the first of 11 in a row, a skid that cost coach Jack Pardee his job and set in motion the chain of events leading to the team’s moving to Nashville.
