The Texans may have won the playoff game on January 12, but the aftermath is the part Steelers fans keep pointing to now.
That night in Houston, Toro ripped a Terrible Towel in half, and since then the joke around Steelers Nation has been that the Texans invited the curse on themselves. Whether anyone buys into that or not, the record is hard to ignore: Houston is 0-8 since the towel was torn, a stretch that includes the playoff loss, preseason, and regular season.
This season has only made the story look worse for the Texans. They’re 0-4, the defense has been struggling, and the offense hasn’t shown much progress. After beating Pittsburgh in the postseason, Houston followed it up with a rough outing against the New England Patriots the next week.
That’s a stunning slide for a team that was supposed to be a playoff lock entering the year. Instead, the Texans are now looking like they could wind up near the bottom of the league if things keep going this way.
Toro has reportedly tried to make amends before, but it hasn’t changed the results. And for all the laughs Steelers fans are getting out of Houston’s misery, Pittsburgh has its own problems to sort through. The Steelers lost to the Cleveland Browns this past Thursday, so this isn’t exactly a team in position to get too comfortable.
Even so, the Terrible Towel storyline has plenty of fuel right now. No one has been able to mock it and walk away clean, and Houston is the latest team wearing the consequences. Still, the bigger issue for the Texans is simple: they need their defense to wake up, and they need their offense to find something fast if they’re going to have any shot at climbing back into the postseason race.
In Other News...
Steelers Fans May See Joey Porter Jr. Trade Very Differently Now
The Cowboys acquisition of Joey Porter Jr. came with the usual instant questions about what comes next, but the early read on his approach may ease some of that anxiety. Rather than pushing immediately for a new deal, Porter is reportedly willing to play out his current contract, which gives Dallas some breathing room as it sorts through the longer-term picture around one of its newest defensive additions.
For Steelers fans, that detail may change the way the move is viewed from afar. Porters market value is estimated at around $27.4 million per year, so the price tag is still substantial, but the bigger issue now appears to be how much security and how many years the Cowboys want to offer when the time comes. The contract conversation is not going away, but the early signs suggest this may be more about fit and timing than any urgent showdown over money. [Read more 🡒]
Missing Steelers Fan Case In Cleveland Just Took A Disturbing Turn
A trip to Cleveland for a football game has turned into a search that now carries real weight. Phoenix Phillips, a 24-year-old from Maryland, was last seen downtown after attending the game, and police have said his disappearance is concerning. His phone was found, adding to the unease around a case that has quickly moved beyond a simple missing-person report.
Authorities have also recovered an unidentified body near the area where Phillips was last known to be, though they have not confirmed any connection. The investigation remains active, and online chatter has added another layer of noise around Phillips, with unverified allegations tying him to unauthorized trading and scamming. For now, though, the only thing that matters is the unanswered question of what happened after he left the game. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers LB Cole Holcomb Shares A Feel Good Life Update
For a Steelers defense still trying to settle in through a 2-2 start, Cole Holcomb has had a more personal milestone to celebrate away from the field. Holcomb and his wife, Casey, welcomed their second child this week, a baby boy named Drew Jarrett, or DJ, adding a bright spot to a season that has already had its share of on-field grind for the veteran inside linebacker.
Holcomb has continued to be part of Pittsburghs mix in the middle of the defense, even as the early weeks have brought a little bit of everything, including an NFL fine for a blindside block on a special teams play in Week 3. The newborn news, though, is the kind of update that can reset a players week in a hurry, and it gives Holcomb and his family a memorable moment as the Steelers move deeper into the season. [Read more 🡒]