John Middlekauff’s Best Bet for Texans vs Steelers

When looking at this Monday night game, where the Steelers have not lost in Pittsburgh in like 30+ years, I can only think of one thing: if this was a Disney movie, you would be like “Aaron Rodgers going to throw a bunch of touchdowns. The record on Monday Night Football is going to continue. It’s going to be awesome!”

But this is the NFL. This is not reality television. I know people think they script this – they don’t. And more than likely, this is not going to end well for the Steelers.

Why This Matchup Is a Problem

I was flipping through the channels this morning at the gym and Aidan Hutchinson was in the studio with the ESPN guys. He was talking about his experience playing against Rodgers and said, “it’s not really fun because he’s going to get rid of the ball so fast that however many plays you have on offense, let’s say 40 to 45, maybe less, you’re going to have two or three chances over that entire time to sack him.”

And when you get that opportunity, you just better not miss.

The thing is, these Texan guys don’t miss. Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson are just not going to miss. So if Pittsburgh gets in a position where they are down early, they would be in major trouble.

The Steelers Are Lucky to Be Here

Let’s face it, the Steelers are extremely lucky to be playing in this game. If John Harbaugh got a little more aggressive with 12 seconds left and a timeout, that field goal could have been closer.

It’s a tough place to kick, sure, but how often is Loop missing that kick? Less than 25% of the time.

So the Steelers are very, very fortunate to be here.

Defensive Concerns

Part of the reason they’re fortunate is because their defense isn’t that good. They’ve moved Jalen Ramsey to safety. He blew multiple plays in that game that cost them.

He is an all-time great player. Jalen in his prime was simply elite. His versatility, his size, his physicality as a tackler. I’m a big Jalen Ramsey fan , but at certain positions when you get old, you kind of fall off a cliff. He’s just not quite the same guy.

Their pass rush isn’t that great, either. Cam Heyward played the game of his life, which was awesome, but it was like watching John Randle in his prime. Can he do that again?

I just have a hard time seeing this go well for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Middlekauff’s Pick for Texans vs Steelers

I think it would be cool if the Steelers were to win this game. I would enjoy watching a throwback Rodgers game. It was awesome watching that fourth quarter against the Ravens. But I’m not betting on it. I’m actually betting against it.

I’m going to take the Houston Texans -3 in this game. I actually love the Texans in this game. I think they could smother them and absolutely destroy them.

Those runs that were going against the Ravens where Jaylen Warren was breaking tackles like he’s Walter Payton or Earl Campbell, I don’t envision that happening tonight.

You lose at home and all of a sudden it’s not looking great. It can get weird really quick. We’re not that far removed from them chanting “Fire Tomlin.”

I just think we’re seeing the end of it all. Give me Texans -3.