After a high-scoring first half, the Steelers' defense shut out the visiting Texans in the second half Sunday for a 28-21 victory.
Pittsburgh, down 14-3 early, took the lead after Ben Roethlisberger threw first half touchdown passes to Eric Ebron and JuJu Smith-Schuster.
The Texans' offense, led by Deshuan Watson, gave Houston a 21-17 halftime lead after Watson found Will Fuller for a 14-yard score. .
After a rocky first half, the Steelers' defense clamped down on Watson, sacking him five times while coming up with a big third quarter interception by Mike Hilton.
Roethlisberger, who on Sunday surpassed Mike Webster for the most games played in Steelers history, enjoyed another solid outing, going 23-of-36 for 237 yards while improving his season touchdown/interception ratio to 7/1.
Conner rushed for over 100 yards for a second straight game, as the Steelers ran for 169 yards on 38 carries!
Watson, who went 14 of 18 in the first half, finished with 264 yards on 19 of 27 passing.
Randall Cobb led the Texans with 95 yards and a touchdown on four catches, while Houston's running game was held to just 29 yards on 15 carries. .
Pittsburgh played complementary football during the second half.
Following Hilton's interception, the Steelers executed a 12-play, 79-yard drive that was capped off by Conner's game-winning touchdown.
The Steelers' defense then forced a quick three-and-out before giving the ball back to its offense, which made sure the Texans would not get another chance with the ball.
The Steelers continue to receive stellar play from former Pro Bowl kicker Chris Boswell, who made both of his field goals on Sunday that included a 26-yarder at the start of the second half.
Houston appeared to be ready for a shootout after Watson's second touchdown pass gave the Texans a 21-10 halftime lead.
But in the second half, Houston, after continuing to get nothing from its ground game, became one dimensional, as Watson became an easy target for Pittsburgh's pass rush.
Defensively, Houston's run defense, ranked 31st in the NFL coming into Sunday, continued to struggle, allowing the Steelers to run for 169 yards on 38 carries.
The Texans also had no answer for Pittsburgh's tight end duo of Ebron and Vance McDonald, who combined to catch eight passes for 87 yards and a touchdown.
The Texans seemed poised to add to their one-point lead at the start of the fourth quarter.
The game's biggest play belongs to Hilton, who was beaten by Cobb on the Texans' first score of the game.
I can't talk enough about how proud I am of that group up front, and on that drive especially, because that was not easy." -- Roethlisberger on the Steelers' game-winning drive, a drive that took seven minutes off the clock .
The game appears to be on ice after Roethlisberger hits rookie Chase Claypool for 24 yards.
Just ended Houston's last drive, and now he sacks Watson on first down for an 11-yard loss.
The sack helped force a punt, as the Steelers now have the ball and the lead with just over five minutes left.
Really nice, well-balanced drive by the Steelers, who take the lead on James Conner's 12-yard touchdown run
Conner had five of those carries, as Steelers now have 138 yards on 29 carries
That being said, Watson should have thrown it away, as Houston's defense has had success against the Steelers' offense this half
Texans have to punt after three plays, as Houston's defense was given virtually no time to rest after just being on the field for give minutes
Pittsburgh had just runs on the 12-play drive after McFarland gained just two yards on his last two carries after starting the drive with an 11-yard run
A drop by James Washington also aided the Texans' red zone defense
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