Now that the Pittsburgh Steelers have finally landed safely home, they’ll take some time to digest the 23-18 win over the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday night. Then, their attention will turn to the Week Four matchup against the Houston Texans on the road.
There, they will face QB C.J. Stroud who made NFL history in his third start and first career win, a 37-17 over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Stroud set the rookie record for most completions without throwing an interception to start a career, 121. The previous record was held by QB Warren Moon of the Houston Oilers back in 1984 with 103 completions.
Not only has Stroud kept from turning the ball over through the air, he’s also thrown for over 900 yards and four touchdowns, making him only the third quarterback in league history to have hit the 900-yard mark three games into a career. He joins former Carolina Panthers QB Cam Newton who threw for 1,012 yards in his first three games back in 2011 and Los Angeles Chargers QB Justin Herbert who passed for 931 yards in his first three games in 2020.
Stroud is now chasing the record for most completions to begin a career without throwing an interception, a mark of 176 set by Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott in 2016. Standing in his way? The Pittsburgh Steelers, fresh off a three-interception game against Raiders QB Jimmy Garoppolo.
Not only is Pittsburgh coming off a game where they grabbed three interceptions (and sacked Garoppolo four times,) but the Steelers are tied for the second-most interceptions in the league since the start of the 2022 season with 24 (tied with the Buffalo Bills, one behind the San Francisco 49ers.) That’s a lot of interceptions, and the rookie quarterback in Houston is going to face an incredibly stiff task chasing down Prescott.
That’s almost as tough a task as standing upright against the Steelers’ pass rush. Pittsburgh has 13 sacks through three games, and Stroud has been sacked 11 times. That’s a credit to Stroud that he’s been under that much duress and has yet to throw an interception but facing a pass rush led by LB T.J. Watt could lead to some turnover-worthy throws. Rattling Stroud will be key for the Steelers’ defense looking to help key the team to a third-straight win and make it three wins in a row over conference opponents.
