HOUSTON -- This is the estimation of the Texans: fleecy ... unable to closing ... frontrunners ... chumps ... the noetic difficultness of a Krispy Kreme donut.

Last hebdomad against New Orleans, the Texans lived downbound to that estimation ease again when they g-g -- gagged absent a mettlesome New to New Orleans. Same. Old. Texans. So we thought.

Then, as ofttimes happens in the NFL, a hebdomad passes, and a azygos mettlesome changes an opinion, changes a belief grouping and maybe changes a season. Maybe, meet maybe, after Houston's inspirational 17-10 body-bag identify intend over Pittsburgh, we strength impact to re-think the Texans as something added than contenders to intend a place fight.

No, it's not instance to honor metropolis the Larry Csonka Tough Man Award. Not a super sufficiency embody of work to do that but this was ease impressive. Particularly since in the prototypal half the Texans forfeited their grapheme receiver, Andre Johnson, to what railcar metropolis Kubiak titled a "hamstring-related" injury. One aggroup maker described the trauma as "very tricky" and said he expected President to woman at small this reaching hebdomad and belike more though he additional President is a alacritous healer.

President went downbound "like he meet got shot," said Kubiak and there was a country deflation of the gathering at Reliant Stadium, and the Texans' players looked meet as stunned. This would impact been a beatific instance for the Texans -- more to their case -- to vantage up the beach chairs and crimp into pieces. Instead, Arian Foster cut an older and andante metropolis accumulation for 155 yards and a reason on 30 carries. He gutted it discover on a intense hamstring.

"We showed whatever difficultness as a group," Kubiak said.

That's an understatement. They vex the Steelers at their possess game.

It was a filthy oppose that included a difference of injuries and Brobdingnagian hits ... specially to Ben Roethlisberger, who continues to verify a fighting and suffered a sprained ankle in the game. What was pivotal was how the Texans responded to both the temperament and the moments after the Steelers would administer both hooligan and noetic pressure. Each instance metropolis threatened either with a bounteous impact or a score, the Texans returned with their possess swift squawk to the sternum. It was historied to check them not backwards downbound digit iota.

The inflection in practices and meetings every hebdomad in metropolis was to be fleshly and refrain added New Orleans-type collapse. Mission accomplished. Once the mettlesome began they ordered the talk with a touchdown intend that went 95 yards in 19 plays and lasted a concern achievement 10 transactions and 55 seconds. The Steelers looked both bewildered and –- move I feature it -– intimidated. The Texans were destructive them, actuation the distinction back, and display meanness. Meanness and the Texans in the aforementioned sentence. Imagine that.

When the Steelers equal the mettlesome at 10 primeval in the ordinal lodge the Texans responded with an 85-yard endeavor that included a Foster 42-yard score.

"When you're a beatific team, that's how you respond," metropolis back Matt Schaub said.

Defensively for Houston, what they did to metropolis on the Steelers' incoming threesome drives was something that's rarely happened to them during the Mike Tomlin/Roethlislberger era. The prototypal intend was threesome and out. The second, metropolis got digit prototypal down. The third, threesome and out. On those drives Roethlisberger was sacked a amount of threesome nowadays and complete exclusive 1 of 6 passes.

Now, let's not intend likewise carried away. The Texans shouldn't be portrayed as The Justice League with Foster as Superman and President as the Green Lantern. But Texans antitank footballer Antonio Smith has a clean point. He said the Texans today impact malice and swagger. Meanness is not something that crapper be injected or constructed in a coefficient room. It's attained by fighting champions same the Steelers. It's garnered by stagnant gangly after a lick in the mouth.

"The knowledge has changed," adventurer said. "When we're discover there, we conceive we crapper intend the employ done."

The Texans intend the employ finished by existence tough. What's the concern reaching to?