The Pittsburgh Steelers opened the preseason on Friday night at Acrisure Stadium against the Houston Texans, but the Texans got the better of the Steelers, shutting them out in the first half en route to a 20-12 win.
Pittsburgh won the toss and chose to receive to open the game.
Fourth-string QB John Rhys Plumlee returned the opening kickoff to the 23-yard line, and then RB Najee Harris picked up 16 yards on a pass from QB Justin Fields. Two plays later, WR George Pickens picked up 15 yards and a first down, moving Pittsburgh to the Houston 47. A fumble on a poor exchange between Justin Fields and C Nate Herbig set Pittsburgh back, and on 3rd and 13, the drive stalled on a six-yard completion to TE Pat Freiermuth. Former Texans P Cameron Johnston boomed one deep to former Steelers WR Steven Sims, who returned the punt 16 yards to the Houston 21.
Houston went three and out on its opening drive, and Pittsburgh got the ball back on its own 15 following a fair catch by Quez Watkins. Another fumble by Fields that he recovered for a gain of four yards. On second down, Fields scrambled for a gain of two but then was sacked by DE Danielle Hunter on third down and Pittsburgh went three and out.
Following a penalty on the punt and a 22-yard return by WR Tank Dell, the Texans opened the drive at the Pittsburgh 36. They were able to punch it in with QB C.J. Stroud hitting Dell on a 34-yard touchdown on 3rd and 4. Houston took a 7-0 lead following Ka’imi Fairbairn’s extra point with 6:17 left in the first.
On 2nd and 4 from the Pittsburgh 20, Fields hit Pickens for a first down and found WR Van Jefferson for a gain of 20 to midfield. Two plays later, RB Jaylen Warren ran for nine yards and a first down, but the drive again stalled with Fields getting sacked on third down.
Johnston’s punt would pin Houston inside its own 10, as Sims called a fair catch at Houston’s 8-yard line. Houston’s drive ended with QB Davis Mills getting sacked on third down by DL Montravius Adams, and Pittsburgh took over at its own 27 following the punt.
On second down, RB Jonathan Ward ran for 20 yards and a first down, and then QB Kyle Allen, replacing Fields, hit WR Dez Fitzpatrick for a 34-yard gain to the Houston 17. An encroachment penalty moved the Steelers up to the Houston 12, and they’d pick up a first down a few plays later on a reception by WR Scotty Miller.
On 2nd and goal from the Houston 2, RB La’Mical Perine was stopped for a gain of 1, and the Steelers eventually would go for it on fourth down. On 4th and goal, Allen’s pass to a wide-open WR Calvin Austin III was overthrown and Houston took over on downs. The Texans would go three and out and punt from their own end zone, but Watkins muffed the punt and Houston recovered at the Pittsburgh 30.
On 2nd and 10, Mills found TE Cade Stover for a gain of 16, but on the next play he was sacked for a loss of 11 by DL DeMarvin Leal. On 3rd and 15, Houston converted, with Mills climbing the pocket to find WR Robert Woods for a gain of 15. On the next play, RB Dare Ogunbowale ran it in for a 4-yard touchdown and Houston went up 14-0 with 3:52 left in the first half after Fairbairn’s extra point.
Pittsburgh’s next drive started at the 40 after Fairbairn’s kickoff fell short of the landing zone, but the Steelers couldn’t capitalize. The only first down they gained came on an illegal use of hands penalty by former Steelers DT Khalil Davis. Pittsburgh would be forced to punt after the two-minute warning from the Houston 44, and Johnston’s punt was a touchback.
Houston moved the ball to the Pittsburgh 39 following a nine-yard reception by Stover, and the Texans took a timeout with 25 seconds left in the half. They drove down to the Pittsburgh 18 and settled for a field goal, with Fairbairn putting Houston up 17-0 with three seconds left in the half with a 36-yard field goal.
The Texans got the ball to start the second half, and on second down they picked up a first on a reception by RB Cam Akers, but their drive stalled at the Pittsburgh 49. Pittsburgh took over at its own 22 following Tommy Townsend’s punt. On 2nd and 7, Allen found Austin for a 24-yard gain that moved Pittsburgh to its own 49, but on the next play a holding penalty against TE Connor Heyward knocked Pittsburgh back 10 yards.
A 16-yard gain by WR Jaray Jenkins on a pass from Allen gave Steelers a first down two plays later, but they moved back again after a loss of two and then a false start. The Allen-Austin connection came through again with a 25-yard gain to the Houston 18 after the false start, and the Steelers got a new set of downs.
A scramble by Allen on 3rd and 7 gave the Steelers a 1st and goal at the Houston 6. Then Allen hit TE Connor Heyward for a six-yard touchdown, Pittsburgh’s first score of the 2024 preseason. K Matthew Wright missed the extra point and Pittsburgh trailed 17-6 with 4:31 left in the third quarter.
Houston drove to the Pittsburgh 37 on its next drive on an end-around by WR Xavier Hutchinson for a gain of 19. But Houston wouldn’t pick up another first down on the drive, settling for a 51-yard Fairbairn field goal with 12 seconds left in the third quarter to put Houston up 20-6.
Pittsburgh’s next drive started at its own 28 following a return from RB Daijun Edwards. On the opening play of the fourth quarter, Allen went downfield to WR Scotty Miller, who picked up 38 yards on a catch and run. Two plays later, Edwards ran for 24 yards down to the Houston 1, and he punched it in on the next play. Down eight, Pittsburgh went for two but the run to Perine failed, so the score remained 20-12 with 12:47 to go in the game.
QB Case Keenum came in the game for Houston, and on 3rd and 11, he hit WR Johnny Johnson III for a 12-yard gain. Two plays later, rookie RB Jahwar Jordan ran for 10 yards and a first down, and then Johnson picked up another first down on a 10-yard reception. On 2nd and 10 a few plays later, OLB Jeremiah Moon sacked Keenum for a loss of 6. Houston went for it on 4th and 1 two plays later and picked it up on a 5-yard reception by WR Quintez Cephus.
Houston drove down to the Pittsburgh 13, but Fairbairn missed a 30-yard try and the Steelers would take over with the chance to try the game. On the second play of the drive, Allen was sacked and fumbled but Pittsburgh recovered, OT Anderson Hardy was called for a false start and on 3rd and 25, the Steelers gained just three yards on a screen to RB Aaron Shampklin. Pittsburgh punted following the two-minute warning, and Houston took over at midfield.
The Texans went three and out, so the Steelers got the ball back with 1:27 left, but they didn’t have any timeouts. Pittsburgh was able to drive to its own 47, but an Allen heave was intercepted by Brandon Hill, and the Steelers lost.
