Fullback James Casey caught five passes for 126 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 40-33 loss at New Orleans. He set a team record for receiving yards by a back, surpassing Steve Slaton's mark of 102 yards in a 2009 game at Cincinnati.
Also, Casey's 126 receiving yards are the most by a back in the NFL this season. Chicago running back Matt Forte had the previous high with 117 yards, which also came against New Orleans.
"I would rather have had zero catches if we'd have won the game," Casey said. "I had kind of a breakout game, but I wish it had come with a win. It's bittersweet because we lost.
"I feel like I did a good job. I got some opportunities, took advantage of some of them, and, hopefully, there'll be more to come."
Getting to Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is one thing. Bringing him down is something else.
"He's hard to bring down in the pocket," coach Gary Kubiak said. "A lot of people will blitz him, but you get there and he throws you down, keeps playing and makes a big play. He's a tough guy to tackle.
"You've got to make sure you almost treat him like a back. That's how hard he is to tackle. Even though you got your hands on him, his arm is very, very strong. He's probably as good an off-schedule player as I've seen since my old roommate (Denver quarterback John Elway)."
The Steelers are ranked second in defense and are loaded with talent on that side of the ball. They have two players - outside linebacker James Harrison and strong safety Troy Polamalu - who have each been voted NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
"He's a stud," nose tackle Shaun Cody said about Polamalu. "He's a very intellectual player. He knows when he can gamble and when he can't, so he's a stud of a player."
The Texans will have to work hard and play smart to keep Polamalu from being disruptive in the backfield.
"You definitely have to know where he's at every play," receiver Andre Johnson said. "You try to look at things on film to find tips, what makes him blitz on some plays. It looks like he just has a knack for it, and he just blitzes when he wants to.
"The crazy thing about it, when he does it, it always seems to work in his favor. He always makes a great play."
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