The Texans defeat the Steelers, who lose quarterback Kenny Pickett to a knee injury.

C.J. Stroud and Nico Collins connected for two touchdowns as the Houston Texans defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 30-6 on Sunday.

The Texans (2-2) held the Steelers to 12 first downs and outgained them 451-225 on the same day they inducted former star defensive end J.J. Watt into their ring of honor.

Kenny Pickett of the Pittsburgh Steelers completed 15 of 23 passes for 114 yards and an interception before suffering a left knee injury late in the third quarter. Najee Harris rushed for 71 yards and caught one pass for 32 yards for a team-high 32 yards.

The Texans scored on the first play of the game, a 12-play, 69-yard drive. At 8:55 in the first quarter, Stroud hit Collins from 2 yards out.

On Pittsburgh's first possession, Pickett took a deep shot, and former Steeler Steven Nelson came down with the interception, returning it 31 yards for Houston. That set up Ka'imi Fairbairn's first of three field goals, a 36-yarder that put Houston up 10-0 before the end of the first quarter.

With 12:09 left in the first half, Fairbairn added a 38-yard field goal, sandwiched between two Pittsburgh three-and-outs.

Pittsburgh's final drive of the half was called back due to offensive pass interference by tight end Pat Freiermuth. Stroud connected with Collins on catch-and-runs of 42 and 15 yards with less than a minute remaining, setting up Fairbairn's 39-yard field goal at the buzzer for a 16-0 halftime lead.

Before halftime, the Steelers had only gained 53 yards. With the first possession of the second half, Pittsburgh more than doubled that yardage total, but a 58-yard drive resulted in Chris Boswell's 35-yard field goal. With 5:47 remaining in the third, they added Boswell's 23-yard field goal to make it 16-6.

The Steelers then faced a fourth-and-one situation at Houston's 33-yard line and attempted a pass. Pickett's pocket collapsed, and defensive end Jonathan Greenard recorded the sack. Pickett needed assistance getting off the field because he couldn't put weight on his left leg.

The Texans went 68 yards in ten plays and scored on a trick play. With 10:50 remaining, running back Devin Singletary took a pitch to the right and threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to tight end Dalton Schultz.

With 3:39 remaining, Stroud threw a dime to Collins in stride for a 52-yard exclamation point score.

SportsLigue