Cleveland is good but Texans, They’re Grrreat?
by Bo Marchionte
@bomarchionte | College2Pro.com
Published July 24, 2025, 4:29 PM
Pittsburgh, PA – The Houston Texans’ defense is stupid, borderline unfair, holy-shit scary.
That’s the starting point. There’s no dancing around it. They rush the passer from everywhere, collapse pockets without blitzing themselves into stupidity, and hit like a team that actually enjoys contact. By the numbers and by the tape, this is one of the most complete defenses the Steelers will see all season.
Which is why Dylan Cook’s comparison to Cleveland lands… awkwardly.
“It really helps that they have a lot of similarities with Cleveland,” said Cook. “Okay, so we’re not too far off in terms of playing a defense like this. Obviously, they got all the stats, all the accolades, all the good players.”
That sounds reasonable until you remember the Steelers scored six points against the Browns and that Aaron Rodgers turned in one of the roughest games of his career.
So yeah, it’s fair to ask: how exactly is that supposed to make anyone feel better?
Houston isn’t just a clone of Cleveland.
The Texans are deeper up front, faster at linebacker, and far more disciplined in how they attack protections. They don’t just win with talent they win with structure. Their front penetrates. Their linebackers clean up everything. Their edges don’t need help to wreck a game. That’s not hype. That’s just reality.
Cook sees it too.
“You know, physical, talented defense across the board, penetrating scheme up front, physical linebackers, linebackers that make tackles pretty much.”
That sentence trails off, but the point doesn’t. This isn’t one matchup problem. It’s eleven of them.
Mason McCormick, who sits next to Cook in the locker room, agreed with Cook for the most part.
“Yeah, they do (comparing to Cleveland),” said McCormick. “They do a really good job on defense. They have really good edge rushers, and they also got really good interior people. Linebackers do a good job. And I can’t speak a ton on the DBs, but I know they’re super solid on the outside as well.”
That’s the whole board. Inside. Outside. Second level. No soft landing spots.
And yet this is where it turns.
The Steelers aren’t walking into this blind or broken.
For one, DK Metcalf is back after a two-game suspension. And before anyone pretends he was some invisible luxury piece, let’s get real: he was second on the team in targets despite missing time. This isn’t prime Jerry Rice and Joe Montana being erased from history because of one bad matchup in Cleveland. This is a legitimate weapon returning to an offense that desperately needs stress points.
Second, the Steelers didn’t linger.
“Just it’s again, it’s, it’s nice that we won on Sunday, but, you know, it was a pretty quick regroup, collectively, on to the next one.”
Here’s the uncomfortable truth: if Houston’s defense really is as dominant as the stats say and it is then Pittsburgh isn’t winning by being pretty, balanced, or efficient. They’re winning by surviving possessions, stealing field position, and landing a few punches where they can.
Pittsburgh is a home underdog.
Because six points against Cleveland still counts.
Because Houston doesn’t flinch.
And because sometimes playoff games aren’t about solving the riddle they’re about seeing who’s still standing when the riddle refuses to be solved. Which Mike Tomlin and become immortal in turning every game into one of the ugliest slug fests imaginable.
Last Sunday against the Ravens was an anomaly, 27 points scored between each team in the fourth quarter, was downright insane. Aaron Rodgers isn’t going against a team that allowed the 18th highest number of points per game in Baltimore.
It’s going against the defense that allowed the second fewest points in the league, in Houston.
If this Texans defense is truly that damn good, then – How the hell are the Steelers supposed to win?
That’s the question Monday night is going to be answered.
Photo Credit Frank Hyatt/College2Pro.com
