Pittsburgh Steelers (0-0) vs Houston Texans (0-0)
Game Info: Friday, August 9, 2024 at 7:00 pm (Acrisure Stadium)
The Line: Betting Odds: Pittsburgh Steelers +2.5 / Houston Texans -2.5 — Over/Under: 35.5
The Houston Texans and the Pittsburgh Steelers meet Friday in NFL preseason action from Acrisure Stadium. Here’s a Houston Texans vs Pittsburgh Steelers prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Texans vs Steelers pick. We will examine:
The Houston Texans recent form and player performance
The Pittsburgh Steelers recent form and player performance
Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Houston Texans
Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Pittsburgh Steelers
Recent betting trends in games played between the Texans and Steelers
A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for the Texans vs Steelers game
Houston Texans Betting Preview
The Texans took a step forward in the 2023 campaign, finishing at 10-7 overall. That result would catapult Houston to first place in the AFC South, their first division championship since 2019. The Texans would bag a victory in the Wild Card Playoffs round versus the Cleveland Browns, but they lost the Divisional Playoffs versus the Baltimore Ravens 34-10.
Houston already has an on-field appearance this year, playing in the annual Hall of Fame Game versus the Chicago Bears. In that one the Texans took a 21-7 loss. QB Davis Mills posted a nice 10-for-13 line with 102 yards and a score. Xavier Hutchinson caught five balls for 56 yards to lead the receivers.
Pittsburgh Steelers Betting Preview
Over on the Steelers’ side, they were able to improve on their 2022 season last year by going 10-7 themselves. Pittsburgh landed in third place among a highly-competitive AFC North, eking out a Wild Card berth. The Steelers’ postseason ended quickly however, as they would fall in the Wild Card Playoffs to the Buffalo Bills 31-17.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin enters his 18th season at the helm this year. He’ll try to get the team back to the top of the mountain in the division, but it’s going to be a tough climb. Pittsburgh does get some offensive line help this year though, with the draft additions of OT Troy Fautanu (Washington) and C Zach Frazier (West Virginia).
Houston Texans Player Prop Facts
- Joe Mixon has scored at least one touchdown in 10 of his last 11 regular season appearances against AFC South opponents.
- Robert Woods has recorded 26+ receiving yards in each of his last 21 road appearances against division opponents.
- Joe Mixon has recorded 73+ rushing and receiving yards in seven of his last eight road appearances.
- C.J. Stroud has recorded 264+ passing yards in four of his five previous appearances against AFC South opponents.
- Joe Mixon has recorded 56+ rushing yards in seven of his last eight road appearances.
- C.J. Stroud has thrown two or more touchdowns in three of the Texans’ last four games as slight favorites (<-3.5 points).
- Jimmie Ward is just one away from 10 career interceptions (including playoffs).
Pittsburgh Steelers Player Prop Facts
- Van Jefferson has recorded 13+ receiving yards in seven of his last eight Sunday appearances with his team as a road underdog.
- Najee Harris has recorded 77+ rushing and receiving yards in four of the Steelers’ last five Sunday games.
- Russell Wilson has recorded 221+ passing yards in each of his six previous appearances with his team as an underdog against NFC South opponents.
- Jaylen Warren has recorded 38+ rushing yards in each of the Steelers’ last four games as road underdogs.
- Najee Harris has scored at least one touchdown in each of the Steelers’ last three regular season games.
- Russell Wilson has thrown two or more touchdowns in each of his last five appearances with his team as an underdog against NFC South opponents.
- Russell Wilson has recorded 20+ completions in each of his last five September appearances with his team as an underdog.
- George Pickens ranked 1st amongst qualified players for Yards Per Reception (18.1) last season.
Houston Texans vs Pittsburgh Steelers Prediction
I’ll lean toward the Texans here. The Hall of Fame Game is just about as low-key an exhibition as the NFL gets, but the actual game-speed experience should help Houston quite a bit. In that matchup the Texans moved the ball pretty well in the first half and ended up with 15 first downs alongside 244 total yards. The passing game seemed to work pretty well, at least initially. As for Pittsburgh, their bolstered offensive line should go a long way in helping new QB Russell Wilson and RB Najee Harris to succeed. TJ Watt should shine on defense as well. If all goes according to plan, the Steelers should be firmly in the mix for a division title by season’s end.