It's surprising to note Parker had one more touchdown run against the Texans than he had in 15 games last season, when he was leading the NFL in rushing before his fibula was fractured. But, in his first meaningful game since that injury, Parker scored a career-best three touchdowns and finished with 138 yards on 25 carries -- the fourth-highest rushing total of his career. On his final carry, Parker was so tired he ran out of bounds on a 32-yard run to the Houston 21, setting up a touchdown.

A quick look at the top performances from yesterday's victory:

SMITH'S PERFORMANCE AGAINST WILLIAMS: Don't be quick to blame LT Marvel Smith because he gave up one sack to DE Mario Williams and appeared to be the culprit for the other (he wasn't). In the most important matchup for the Steelers, Smith did more than just play an outstanding game against Williams, who had 14 sacks last season. He was tenacious in the running game, twice throwing the big blocks that allowed Willie Parker to score on two of his three touchdown runs. On the final TD, he shoved Williams and went out and clobbered CB Fred Bennett.

2. SCHAUB STOPPED ON FOURTH DOWN: It was an early gamble by Texans coach Gary Kubiak, especially on the road, but QB Matt Schaub failed to get a first down on a fourth-and-1 sneak at the Steelers' 48 on the opening series. All it did was shorten the field for the first of three Parker TDs.

3.WOODLEY'S ONE-HANDED INTERCEPTION: Just three plays after Parker's 13-yard run made it 14-0, OLB LaMarr Woodley took CB Deshea Townsend's advice to stay underneath the receiver and made a one-handed interception and returned it to the Houston 32 that quickly led to another touchdown.

4. 7 CONSECUTIVE RUNS TO START SECOND HALF: In an attempt to wear down the Texans even more, offensive coordinator Bruce Arians ran the ball nine times on a 10-play, 71-yard scoring drive to start the third quarter, resulting in Parker's third TD. Roethlisberger's only pass came on the eighth play.

5. ANTHONY SMITH NOT DRESSED: It was something of a surprise that Smith, a third-year free safety, was inactive for the game. But coach Mike Tomlin wanted to have CB Anthony Madison and rookie LB Donovan Woods available for special teams to stop Texans KR Andre Davis. And it worked.

13 The number of times Ben Roethlisberger has attempted fewer than 20 passes in a game. The 14 attempted against the Texans were the fewest since he completed 9 of 11 passes for 218 yards and two TDs in the 2005 season opener against Tennessee.

It's probably a matter of debate which person made the crazier decision -- Texans coach Gary Kubiak, for trying to be aggressive on fourth-and-1 at the Steelers' 48 on the opening series; or referee Terry McAulay, for quickly, albeit incorrectly, signaling first down after QB Matt Schaub was stopped for no gain. But, because McAulay made the signal before the measurement, Kubiak angrily challenged the call and asked for a replay. All that got him was a charged timeout.

"I told y'all, they're going to have to give him the same respect they give me. If they do, it might open things up for me." -- James Harrison, who had three sacks, on the performance of outside linebacker LaMarr Woodey.

AT CLEVELAND BROWNS, 8:15 P.M. SUNDAY: The Browns (0-1) opened with a 28-10 loss to Dallas and have lost the past nine meetings against the Steelers. What's more, they haven't beaten the Steelers at home since 2000.

The Texans might have made an error in judgment against the Steelers, thinking their running game might struggle with two new starters on the offensive line. But the Steelers finished with 183 yards rushing and averaged 4.7 yards a carry because the Texans kept getting caught inside, trying to use MLB DeMeco Ryans to stuff the middle against C Justin Hartwig and LG Chris Kemoeatu. All that did was allow Parker to bounce several runs outside, including his 7-yard TD.