2. Texans More Reliant on Deshaun Watson Than Ever

Sunday’s game against the Steelers illustrated the strength and weakness of the Texans: as Deshaun Watson goes, so goes the rest of the team.

Watson was great in the first half, leading Houston to 21 points while throwing for more than 200 yards and two touchdowns. But the second half proved to be a different game. Watson gained just 62 yards as the Texans were shut out over the final 30 minutes. They had four possessions in the second-half: three of them ended in three-and-outs, while the other led to Watson’s interception in the fourth quarter.

The Texans held the ball for just nine minutes in the second half. Pittsburgh was able to make halftime adjustments and limit Watson’s ability to scramble out of the pocket and find open receivers.

“We mixed some things up with our coverages. And we rushed a little bit differently,” Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said. “He was finding escape lanes, not necessarily in an effort to run but in an effort to bide time and break some of our zone coverages down and find open spaces. So we made minor, technical adjustments to the rush and coverage, and I think that was the difference.”