NFL.com’s group of five editors unanimously picked the Houston Texans to eliminate the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC wild-card round on Monday night.
ESPN’s quartet of NFL analysts all chose the fifth-seeded Texans to earn the road win over the fourth-seeded Steelers as well.
Not only that, but Ben Solak issued a bold (and rough) prediction for the Aaron Rodgers-led offense.
“The Steelers will get shut out in the first half,” the analyst wrote. “There’s so much hype for the Texans’ pass rush, but it’s the secondary’s ability to create turnovers and minimize YAC that will lead to quick three-and-outs in this one. Houston can sustain long drives to control the clock, too.”
Though none of the four predicted a Houston blowout, Solak has the Texans winning by the biggest margin in a 24-13 final.
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Both betting analyst Pamela Maldonado and analytics writer Seth Walder foresee Mike Tomlin’s crew falling by a field goal (23-20 and 19-16, respectively), while Eric Moody predicted Houston coming out on top, 21-17.
Even though Rodgers has loads of playoff experience, it’s obvious that the Texans present a difficult challenge for the Steelers offense.
Pittsburgh ranked middle of the pack in points per game scored this season (15th) at 23.4, while failing to score 30 points in each of their last seven games.
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Houston’s defense, meanwhile, was second in the NFL during the regular season in points against (17.4).
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