Steelers vs Texans
Steelers vs Texans After closing out the 2007 season with a tough playoff lose to Jacksonville, the Steelers start the 2008 season with a bit of a chip on their shoulder. Last year they won the AFC North with a 10-6 record and enter '08 as one of the top teams in the AFC. They open at home against the Texans as 6 1/2 point favorites, odds makers have set the total at 43.5.

Pittsburgh's offense will look to feast on a Texans defense that was ranked only 19th in the league against the run and even worse, 25th against the pass. The Steelers are led by QB Ben Roethlisberger, veteran receivers Hinds Ward and Santonio Holmes, and in the ground game by Willie Parker and rookie Rashard Mendenhall.

Roethlisberger completed over 65 percent of his passes for over 3100 yards and 32 touchdowns in '07. Ben threw only 11 interceptions and
had a QB rating of 104.1, second to only Tom Brady. Sunday, he will try to exploit the Texans sub par secondary while the run game looks to get off to a good start as well.

Parker was leading the NFL in rushing until he broke his leg in December. With Parker back at full strength and the with addition of Mendenhall, the Steelers will continue to pound the football on the ground. Their big question mark for this season will be on the offensive line. They lost Pro Bowl guard Alan Faneca to free agency in the off-season and did not replace him with anyone significant.

The Texans finished 2007 with their first non-losing record in franchise history, 8-8. They are trying to get over the hump and become a serious AFC contender. They have the talent to possibly make an improvement over last year, but this won't start on week one.

Take the Steelers at home and give the 6 1/2.