PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania (KTRK) — The Houston Texans handled business in a 20-12 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers for a NFL preseason showcase on Friday.
ABC13 is the exclusive home for the Texans in the preseason. The Texans come home for the next game against the New York Giants. See it on 13, Saturday, Aug. 17, at noon.
Pre-game notes:
On Friday, most of the starters for the Texans played vs. the Steelers, according to Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans.
Not to mention, Friday’s Houston vs. Pittsburgh matchup featured an intriguing matchup between two young, ascending quarterbacks.
Texans franchise quarterback C.J. Stroud, who is coming off a sensational rookie year last season, faced off on the field at Acrisure Stadium against Steelers quarterback Justin Fields, the former No. 11 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, who got the starting nod with fellow quarterback Russell Wilson out with a calf injury.
As for the Steelers, the team acquired both Fields and Wilson in the offseason, and is contemplating which of the two is the clear-cut starting quarterback for this season as the team has been searching for their next quarterback in the post-Ben Roethlisberger era.
As Stroud heads into Year 2, Stroud received his first opportunity to play in an NFL game Friday since last season’s elimination loss to reigning NFL MVP Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens in the 2024 AFC Divisional Round in January. With Stroud’s success in Houston last season, many NFL pundits expect him to have an MVP-type season and lead his revamped squad as a potential Super Bowl contender.
You Digg? In Friday’s NFL preseason game, Texans fans were thrilled to see the debut of four-time Pro-Bowl wide receiver Stefon Diggs, who was traded to Houston in a blockbuster deal back in April.
All in all, Houston’s expectations are higher, and the franchise aspires to make a serious run at a Super Bowl championship while it has Stroud on a team-friendly deal alongside the new offensive additions of Diggs and running back Joe Mixon and influential defensive players such as edge defender Danielle Hunter and linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair.
ESPN Bet currently lists the Texans with the seventh-best odds to win the Super Bowl title at +1600.
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