Texans at Steelers: Week 13 preview, odds and injuries

Week 13 · Sun, Dec 6 · Acrisure Stadium8:20 PM ET

at8:20 PMET · NBC

At a glanceUpdated Nov 10, 2026, 4:47 PM ET

The Houston Texans (3-5) visit the Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2) on Sun, Dec 6, 8:20 PM ET at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, PA (Week 13, 2026 season), on NBC.

When and where is Texans vs Steelers?

Sun, Dec 6, 8:20 PM ET at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, PA. TV: NBC.

Who is injured for Texans vs Steelers?

Texans: David Montgomery (RB, questionable, groin) and Reed Blankenship (S, questionable, concussion). Steelers: Ben Skowronek (WR, questionable, calf), Brandin Echols (CB, questionable, hamstring) and Doneiko Slaughter (CB, questionable, hamstring).

Cite this page

Pigskin Nightly, “Texans at Steelers: Week 13 preview”, https://pigskinnightly.com/games/2026-12-06-hou-at-pit (updated 2026-11-10).

How we calculate Plain-text version Report an error

Regular season through week 12 · rank out of 32

Where this game will be decided

1Steelers run defense vs Texans run game
The Steelers' run defense ranks 4th in EPA per rush (-0.16 allowed, 168 rushes faced) and faces a Texans run game ranked 25th (-0.14, 180 rushes).
25thHOU offense21 spots apart4thPIT defense
2Texans pass rush vs Steelers pass protection
The Texans' pass rush ranks 2nd in sack rate (9.2% of dropbacks, 314 dropbacks faced) and faces a Steelers pass protection ranked 21st (7.3% sacked, 315 dropbacks).
21stPIT offense19 spots apart2ndHOU defense
3Steelers red-zone defense vs Texans red-zone offense
The Steelers' red-zone defense ranks 2nd in red-zone touchdown rate (38% allowed, 16 trips faced) and faces a Texans red-zone offense ranked 17th (58%, 31 trips).
17thHOU offense15 spots apart2ndPIT defenseSmall sample, read with care Why sample size matters

When the Texans have the ballEdge PIT · +21 ranks

HOU dropback offenseEPA per dropbackPIT pass defense

7th+0.18309 dropbacks

-0.03 allowed318 dropbacks faced8th

HOU run gameEPA per rushPIT run defense

25th-0.14180 rushes

PIT +21

-0.16 allowed168 rushes faced4th

Dropbacks include sacks and scrambles; rushes are designed runs. What EPA measures.

When the Steelers have the ballEdge PIT · +16 ranks

PIT dropback offenseEPA per dropbackHOU pass defense

26th-0.11315 dropbacks

HOU +9

+0.05 allowed314 dropbacks faced17th

PIT run gameEPA per rushHOU run defense

1st+0.12179 rushes

PIT +16

-0.08 allowed198 rushes faced17th

Third downNo big edge

HOU third-down offensethird-down conversion ratePIT third-down defense

14th40.2%102 third downs

35.2% allowed105 third downs faced8th

PIT third-down offensethird-down conversion rateHOU third-down defense

15th39.2%102 third downs

40.0% allowed105 third downs faced15th

Conversions are third-down snaps that gained a first down or scored.

Red zoneEdge PIT · +15 ranks

HOU red-zone offensered-zone touchdown ratePIT red-zone defense

17th58%31 trips

PIT +15

38% allowed16 trips faced2nd

PIT red-zone offensered-zone touchdown rateHOU red-zone defense

28th48%25 trips

HOU +9

61% allowed23 trips faced19th

A trip is a drive with at least one snap inside the opponent's 20; the rate is trips that ended in an offensive touchdown. Small samples swing fast here.

Explosive playsNo big edge

HOU big-play offenseexplosive-play ratePIT defense against big plays

7th10.2%489 plays

9.1% allowed486 plays faced13th

PIT big-play offenseexplosive-play rateHOU defense against big plays

16th9.5%494 plays

9.6% allowed512 plays faced18th

Completions of 20+ yards and runs of 10+, per snap. Definition.

Pressure & sacksEdge HOU · +19 ranks

HOU pass protectionsack ratePIT pass rush

10th5.2% sacked309 dropbacks

8.2% of dropbacks318 dropbacks faced4th

PIT pass protectionsack rateHOU pass rush

21st7.3% sacked315 dropbacks

HOU +19

9.2% of dropbacks314 dropbacks faced2nd

Sacks per dropback. The public play-by-play has no pressure charting, so this is the sack side of it only.

TurnoversEdge PIT · +12 ranks

HOU ball securityturnovers per gamePIT takeaway defense

1st0.5 giveaways a game8 games

1.5 takeaways a game8 games5th

PIT ball securityturnovers per gameHOU takeaway defense

10th1.0 giveaways a game8 games

PIT +12

1.0 takeaways a game8 games22nd

Interceptions and lost fumbles on offensive snaps, per game. Turnover rates are among the least stable numbers in football.

AbsencesHOU 0 · PIT 0 regulars out or doubtful

Texans2 listed

0 of them are regulars ruled out or doubtful (60%+ of their unit's snaps across 3+ weeks on the field).

QReed BlankenshipS86% defense · 6 wk
QDavid MontgomeryRB47% offense · 5 wk

Steelers3 listed

0 of them are regulars ruled out or doubtful (60%+ of their unit's snaps across 3+ weeks on the field).

QBen SkowronekWR14% offense · 5 wk
QBrandin EcholsCB7% defense · 6 wk
QDoneiko SlaughterCBno snaps

Snap share is the average of the weeks each player was on the field this season. Full injury report ↓

Rest & travelPIT +2 days of rest · HOU travels 1,142 mi

AwayTexans

7days since last game

1,142miles to get here

1time zones

Last: Sun wk 12 vs BAL · 15,529 mi flown this season

Normal week

Rest edge+2PIT daysTravel gap 1,142 mi

HomeSteelers

9days since last game

0miles · home

0time zones

Last: Fri wk 12 vs DEN · 10,686 mi flown this season

Normal week

League splits for these situations ↓

Sample: HOU 8 games, 489 offensive and 512 defensive plays · PIT 8 games, 494 offensive and 486 defensive plays. Rank 1 is the best offense or the best defense in each stat. Keys are the largest rank gaps (12+ spots) between an offense and the defense it faces, one per stat. Ranks are not schedule-adjusted.

Season to date · rank out of 32