The lights went out on the Pittsburgh Steelers season in a way nobody expected. Honestly, if you’d told me back in September that a team led by C.J. Stroud would waltz into Pittsburgh and dismantle a Mike Tomlin defense in a playoff atmosphere, I might’ve told you to check your temperature. But the monday night football scores tonight—or more accurately, the final results from the Wild Card wrap-up—tell a brutal story for the Black and Gold.
Houston 30, Pittsburgh 6.
It wasn't even as close as the score suggests. The Texans didn't just win; they physically overwhelmed a team that prides itself on being the biggest bully on the block. By the time Calen Bullock was high-stepping into the end zone after a 50-yard interception return, the mass exodus toward the parking lots had already begun.
The Fourth Quarter Collapse
For three quarters, this was a classic, muddy, AFC slugfest. It was 7-6 at halftime. Defensive coordinators were probably drooling. Then the fourth quarter hit, and the wheels didn't just come off for the Steelers—the whole axle snapped.
Houston hung 23 points on the board in the final fifteen minutes. Twenty-three!
The avalanche started with a Ka’imi Fairbairn field goal to make it 10-6. Fine, still a one-score game. But then Will Anderson Jr. reminded everyone why he’s a foundational piece for DeMeco Ryans. He blew past the Pittsburgh line, jarred the ball loose from Aaron Rodgers, and Sheldon Rankins scooped it up for a 33-yard defensive touchdown.
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17-6. The air in the stadium just... vanished.
Pittsburgh's offense, which has struggled for consistency all year, went into a total tailspin. Aaron Rodgers finished the night 17-of-33 for a paltry 146 yards. No touchdowns. One pick. He was sacked four times. Watching a future Hall of Famer look that human in a playoff game is always a bit jarring, but the Texans' pass rush made him look every bit of his age tonight.
Why the Texans Defense is Different
Most people talk about C.J. Stroud, and for good reason. He’s the face of the franchise. But this win was built on the backs of a defensive unit that refuses to give up explosive plays.
Christian Kirk was the lone bright spot on the stat sheet for the Houston offense, hauling in 8 catches for 144 yards and a score. Aside from that? The Texans' offense was actually kind of pedestrian. Stroud only threw for 250 yards. Woody Marks ground out 112 yards on the ground, mostly in garbage time to salt the game away.
The defense did the heavy lifting.
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- Two defensive touchdowns (Rankins fumble return, Bullock interception).
- Four sacks on Aaron Rodgers.
- Held Pittsburgh to 0-of-12 on third-down conversions.
- Forced three total turnovers.
You can't win playoff games when you can't stay on the field. Period. The Steelers' inability to convert a single third down is a stat that will haunt Mike Tomlin all through the offseason. It ties a franchise record for futility in the postseason.
What This Means for the Bracket
The monday night football scores tonight officially set the stage for the Divisional Round. Since Houston was the No. 5 seed, they’ve earned themselves a trip to Foxborough.
The Houston Texans will face the New England Patriots on Sunday, January 18. That’s a 3:00 PM ET kickoff on ESPN/ABC. If you thought this game was a test, going into Gillette Stadium against a rested Patriots team is a whole different level of difficulty.
On the other side of the AFC, the Buffalo Bills—who survived a 27-24 nail-biter against Jacksonville—are heading to Denver to take on the No. 1 seed Broncos. That one goes down Saturday afternoon.
The End of the Home Streak
One of the crazier storylines heading into tonight was the Steelers' absurd home winning streak on Monday night. They had won 23 straight MNF games at Acrisure Stadium (and the old Heinz Field). That’s over two decades of dominance.
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To see it end in a Wild Card game, of all things, feels like the closing of a chapter.
T.J. Watt looked visibly frustrated in the post-game presser. He had 6 tackles and a sack, doing his best to keep the ship upright, but you could see the exhaustion. "It’s extremely frustrating," Watt said. "I don't have the answers right now."
Looking Ahead: Actionable Next Steps for Fans
If you're a Houston fan, enjoy the high. This is the first road playoff win in franchise history. Think about that. Twenty-four years of existence and they finally broke the seal on the road.
- Monitor the Injury Report: Nico Collins went to the locker room in the fourth quarter for a concussion evaluation. He didn't return. His status for the New England game is the biggest question mark hanging over this team right now.
- Check the Divisional Odds: Bookmakers are likely to install the Patriots as home favorites, but Houston has won 10 games in a row dating back to the regular season. They are officially the "team nobody wants to play."
- Pittsburgh Offseason Watch: The conversation is going to immediately shift to Aaron Rodgers' future and whether Mike Tomlin can break this seven-game postseason losing streak.
The 2026 NFL playoffs are moving fast. We went from 14 teams down to 8 in the blink of an eye. The Texans are the definitive "Cinderella" of the AFC, but after tonight's defensive clinic, they might just be the real deal.
Set your calendars for Saturday and Sunday. The road to Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara just got a lot more interesting.
Next Steps for Your Playoff Prep:
- Check the local weather for Foxborough; Sunday is currently forecasted to be a "frozen tundra" game which favors the Patriots' run game.
- Verify the status of Nico Collins via the Texans' official Wednesday injury report before placing any early wagers.
- Review the Saturday schedule to ensure you don't miss the Bills-Broncos kickoff at 4:30 PM ET.