Know Thy Enemy: Houston Texans vs Steelers

Every week, I will be contacting the editor of the FanSided team blog the Steelers are playing that Sunday.  This week I wrote five questions to Rick Brokaw, editor of the Texans blog Toro Times.  Check out what he has to say after the jump, and be sure to visit his site and let him know what you think about what he has to say.

1. What kind of team should we expect to see this Sunday – Does the team feel disheartened after their loss to the Saints or emboldened that they were able to hang with a shootout QB like Drew Brees?

"I think that the Texans are a more mature team than we have seen in the past. While the loss to the Saints was a difficult one they will come back even stronger this week. A loss, on the road, to one of the best teams in the league, while never a good thing, is not as terrible as some make it out to be. This week the team will be emboldened as they are playing at home and will be looking to redeem themselves."

2. What is the key matchup for the Texans this week?

"Perhaps the greatest matchup to look for this week is whoever lines up opposite of Kareem Jackson. Jackson was beat a number of times last week and had his back to the QB way too often. If he continues to play that way this week then Big Ben could have some success against him."

3. Do you think defensive coordinator will Wade Phillips will come up with a scheme similar to the way the Colts did last week?

"Wade Phillips, in my opinion, is a defensive genius. I am sure that he will find multiple ways to expose the weakness of the Steelers offensive line. I would not be surprised to see new blitz packages this week from the nickle or dime formations. However, with our weakness against the run game we could see Wade back off the blitz and come more with a cover-2 look."

4. The Steelers are surprisingly the #1 passing defense in the league after three weeks where QB’s have wreaked havoc on secondaries.  How does Matt Schaub fair against the Steelers’ secondary this week?

"Matt Schaub is going to have a decent game this week. While I do not believe that he will have the same numbers that he had last week I feel that this week will be more balanced between the run and pass game. Arian Foster will be returning this week and he could be a terror for the Steelers defense. Assuming that he establishes a solid ground game then Schaub could use the play-action pass to his advantage to put up some big yardage in this game."

5. Do you think the Texans are more ‘relaxed’ this season because of a Manningless Colts team?  Do you believe the Texans have the best chance to come away with the division?

"If anything the Texans are just the opposite of relaxed. They realize that this year they have the best chance of taking over the AFC South. They have remained focused and have adopted a 1-0 mentality. That is to say, they are focused on each game as it is rather than worrying about the entire season. Looking at the division as it is now the Texans definitely have the best chance of running away with the division lead. The Colts and Jaguars are weak and the Titans are still struggling to gain their identity."