(SportsRadio 610) - Going into Sunday's game, the last time the Texans had defeated the Steelers linebacker DeMeco Ryans was a six-year veteran, and defensive end J.J. Watt was a rookie.
It was the 2011 season, and the Texans were headed to their first AFC South title and playoff victory.
As fate would have it, Ryans and Watt were present at NRG Stadium for the Texans' most lopsided victory in history over the Steelers -- Ryans as a first-year head coach and Watt as an inductee into the team's Ring of Honor.
And what a glorious afternoon it was with the Texans delivering a C.J. Stroud-fueled, 30-6 victory over the Steelers, who were dominated by a Steel Curtain-type defense that limited them to 225 yards and two field goals and forced quarterback Kenny Pickett out of the game with a knee injury.
The Texans' victory allowed them to move into a four-way tie for first place in the AFC South with a 2-2 record. Beginning Sunday at Atlanta, they play four consecutive games against teams from the NFC South sandwiched around their bye week.
A sellout crowd that included a large contingent of Steelers' fans left the stadium astonished at the results.
Texans' fans marveled at the decisiveness of the 24-point victory – the first time they've won two consecutive games by at least 20 points since 2015.
Steelers' fans shook their heads at the way their team was obliterated in alarming fashion after Pittsburgh had earned back-to-back victories.
When analyzing the thoroughness of Sunday's butt whipping – the Texans' first victory at home since December of 2021 – it starts with the coaching and extends to the playing.
It's obvious to anyone watching the Texans' conquests of Jacksonville and Pittsburgh by a combined score of 67-23 that Ryans and his assistants are doing an outstanding job, not just with strategy and motivation but with in-game decisions and adjustments that maximize their players' strengths and attack opponents' weakest areas.
The players realize the coaching staff is doing an exceptional job, and they're buying in to what's being preached on a daily basis. Seeing the results is believing the message, and it's apparent to anyone watching Ryans and his staff know what they're doing.
"For our coaching staff, it's a credit to all our guys and the work they put in no one sees behind the scenes," Ryans said. "What I love about our coaching staff is no one complains about who's out there. We've had a lot of injuries (but) nobody complains. Everybody just keeps pressing forward. Everybody just keeps working with the guys who are up.
"It's a relentless mindset from our coaches, starting offensively with (coordinator) Bobby (Slowik). I thought he did a really nice job calling the game. Credit to him and his staff and how (they) had the guys prepared versus a tough defense. To see them have the outing they had is a credit Bobby and his staff."
Ryans calls the defense with support from coordinator Matt Burke. Players on their side of the ball smothered Pittsburgh's offense and kept the Steelers from scoring a touchdown.
"Defensively, coach Burke and his staff, again, same thing," Ryans said. "Doesn't matter who's out there, they had the guys prepared. They had the guys ready to play, and I'm thankful for the coaches we have on our staff. They've done an excellent job."
And that excellence starts with Ryans. There's talk around the NFL that a team needs a head coach with an offensive background to get the maximum out of a young quarterback, but Ryans is proving that's not true because he employs a terrific staff, including Slowik, who followed him from the 49ers and is calling plays for the first time. And Slowik, like Ryans, is learning on the job.
The influence of Slowik, quarterbacks coach Jerrod Johnson and senior offensive assistants Bill Lazor and Shane Day on Stroud has been prolific. And it showed Sunday when Stroud produced a second consecutive 300-yard game.
On an afternoon when Stroud completed 16-of-30 (53.3 percent) for 306 yards and two touchdown passes to Nico Collins (seven catches, 168 yards), he wasn't sacked for a second consecutive game and didn't throw an interception for the first time this season. Stroud averaged 10.2 yards per attempt and finished with a 111.2 rating.
Stroud has 1,212 yards passing, second in NFL history for a quarterback through the first four games of his career behind Cam Newton's 1,386. He's thrown 151 passes without an interception. Since 1970, Stroud is the first rookie to throw for at least 250 yards and two touchdowns without an interception in three consecutive games.
Stroud, who elevated his rating this season to 100.6, had a productive running game for the first time. The Texans ran 38 times for 139 yards, including a season-high 81 by Dameon Pierce.
Playing without four starters and losing left guard Kendrick Green in the fourth quarter, the Texans' offensive line deserves a lot of praise. Line coach Chris Strausser and assistant Cole Popovich have done excellent jobs under extenuating circumstances.
Slowik was determined to run the ball consistently to help keep the NFL's best pass-rush duo – outside linebackers T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith – away from Stroud. Watt entered the game with an NFL-best six sacks, and the Steelers led the league with 13. Not only did Watt and Highsmith not sack Stroud, but Watt hit him once and Highsmith three times.
"We knew we had our hands full (with) Highsmith and Watt, two of the best edge rushers in the league," Ryans said. "It doesn't matter who's out there, you protect together, starting with the line and then the tight ends and backs. It's also the quarterback getting the ball out and the receivers running routes with the proper timing. Overall, we played really well stifling their pass rush."
Slowik called running plays up the middle and outside, where Pierce succeeded. He also called two end-around runs with Tank Dell. He had Stroud throwing from the pocket and on rollouts. And in the biggest surprise of the game, Slowik had backup running back Devin Singletary throw a 6-yard pass for a touchdown to tight end Dalton Schultz. That touchdown gave the Texans some breathing room by elevating a 16-6 score to 23-6 early in the fourth quarter.
The last touchdown was a 52-yard collaboration between Stroud and Collins, who averaged 24 yards a catch.
On the other side of the ball, end Jonathan Greenard sacked Pickett two times, including the second one on a fourth-and-1 pass at the Texans' 33 late in the third quarter. Pittsburgh was on the move and trailing by 10 when Greenard sacked Pickett, forcing him out of the game with a knee injury and bringing on Mitch Trubisky.
"It was exciting to see JG get that sack," Ryans said. "He missed one earlier, so he owed us one. He came up big time at the right moment. I'm excited for what he continues to bring as a pass rusher."
End Jerry Hughes recorded his first sack, and the defense had six tackles for loss, equaling the Texans' total from the first three games. Cornerback Steven Nelson continued his remarkable play with a leaping interception that set up a field goal drive that provided the Texans with a 10-0 lead in the first quarter.
"I feel like the defense did a nice job of how we want to play," Ryans said. "It's swarming, attacking the ball (and) winning the turnover battle. It's guys flying around having fun and playing for each other.
"I like the way our D-line played. Really resetting the line of scrimmage, allowing guys behind them to make plays. The most important thing is whoever's there, it's about all the guys playing together. That's what winning football looks like – everybody making the play they're supposed to make."
And the Texans are making more and more plays they're supposed to make, and it's a winning formula through four games.
John McClain can be heard Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday on SportsRadio 610 and Monday, Thursday and Sunday on Texans Radio, also on SportsRadio 610. He writes five columns a week and does three Houtopia Football Podcasts for SportsRadio610.com.
