The Pittsburgh Steelers and Houston Texans couldn’t be any different heading into their Week 3 matchup at Heinz Field. The Steelers are 2-0 after beating mundane opponents like the New York Giants and Denver Broncos, while the Texans are 0-2 after losses to two AFC power houses in the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens.
For this reason, and two players like Deshaun Watson and J.J. Watt, there are still some experts who aren’t completely sold on the Steelers, and are thinking the Texans might be better than their record indicates.
That’s right folks, it is time to check in on the experts and who they like to win this big AFC showdown this Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.
For sites who just have their experts throw in weekly picks and click the submit button, the vast majority of those experts like the Steelers. However, most sites have at least a couple haters who think the Texans will go on the road and claim their first win.
At ESPN, who has the largest panel of experts, two of their experts like the Texans, and for the folks at SB Nation, a lone wolf is taking the Texans to pull off the upset this Sunday.
But some websites provide a little context behind their selections. Explaining why they chose the team they did, and one of those experts would be Will Brinson of CBS Sports who actually likes the Texans to win the game in Week 3. See why:
This stinks out loud. Why aren’t the Steelers bigger favorites? Everyone agrees their defense is great and the Texans offense is awful. Except the Steelers have played the Giants and Broncos and won by 15 points total; that’s not great. Give Houston credit for getting blown out by two really good teams in KC and Baltimore. I’m not standing here defending Bill O’Brien and the DeAndre Hopkins trade, because you have a better chance of falling face first into a pot of gold than you do finding someone to defend that trade (Pete Prisco and Brady Quinn may have tried on the Pick Six Podcast, but you’ll have to listen to confirm that). This is just a prime spot to back the talented underdog desperate for a win.
The pick: Texans 21, Steelers 17
Brinson’s counterpart, Pete Prisco of CBS Sports, also gives a little information behind his selection, but he sees the Steelers advancing to 3-0 on the season. Here is why he feels the way he does:
The Texans have lost to the Chiefs on the road and the Ravens at home. Now they have to go out and play the 2-0 Steelers on the road. Who did this to them? The Steelers didn’t look great in beating the Broncos last week, but I think they will get back on track here. Houston has defensive issues that Ben Roethlisberger will exploit. Steelers big.
Pick: Steelers 31, Texans 20
Regardless of individual picks, these are just a few of the many sites which submit weekly predictions for the upcoming slate of games. What about all those other sites who make picks every week? Who do they like between Houston and Pittsburgh?
This is where our friends at NFL Pick Watch help out. NFL Pick Watch takes all expert picks and put them into an easy-to-read chart for fans to see who experts like for every NFL game that week. In this case, 83% of experts are taking the Steelers and their dominant defense to be victorious again this Sunday.
Will the experts be right, or will they be proven wrong? Only time will tell, but be sure to stay tuned to BTSC for the latest news and notes surrounding the black-and-gold as they prepare for Week 3 and hope to remain perfect in the 2020 regular season.