The Texans are a 3-point underdog this week, which points towards a passing game script.
The predictive model expects this game to have the 4th-highest volume of plays run out of all the games this week at 133.4 plays, given the tendencies of each team and game dynamics.
This game will be played in a dome—which means no wind, increased pass volume, increased touchdown potential, and increased passing efficiency.
The projections expect Nathaniel Dell to total 7.0 targets in this contest, on average, ranking in the 78th percentile when it comes to WRs.
Nathaniel Dell has been responsible for a massive 27.1% of his offense’s air yards this year: 77th percentile among WRs.
Cons
The Houston Texans boast a new play-caller this year in offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik, and the model projects their pass/run mix to skew 1.8% more towards rushing than it did last year (context-neutralized).
The model projects the Houston Texans as the 8th-least pass-heavy team in the league (adjusted for context) right now with a 58.2% pass rate.
Opposing QBs have averaged 32.3 pass attempts per game vs. the Steelers defense since the start of last season: 9th-fewest in the NFL.
The Texans offensive line profiles as the 3rd-worst in the NFL since the start of last season in protecting the QB, which has a negative effect on all passing attack stats across the board.
The Pittsburgh Steelers pass defense has excelled when opposing wideouts have gotten into space, conceding an average of 3.70 yards-after-the-catch this year: the 5th-fewest in the NFL.