You probably thought you knew exactly how the Wild Card round would end. Most people did. They looked at the Pittsburgh Steelers, a team with a legendary home-field advantage on Monday nights, and assumed the Houston Texans were just another speed bump in the cold Pennsylvania air.
They weren't.
Actually, the recent monday night football scores tell a much more brutal story than the "Steelers at home" narrative suggested. On January 12, 2026, the Texans didn't just win; they absolutely dismantled Pittsburgh 30-6. It wasn't just a loss. It was a 23-point fourth-quarter avalanche that silenced Acrisure Stadium and ended one of the weirdest streaks in professional sports.
The 23-Game Myth and the Reality of 2026
Before this game, the Steelers had won 23 consecutive home games on Monday Night Football. That is a wild stat. Honestly, it felt like some sort of voodoo was protecting them whenever the ESPN cameras showed up in the Steel City. But the Texans, led by C.J. Stroud and a defense that ranks top in the league, didn't care about history.
The first half was a slog. Boring, even. If you turned it off at halftime with the score sitting at 7-6 in favor of Houston, nobody would’ve blamed you. It felt like one of those classic AFC North defensive battles where the first team to 15 points wins.
Then the fourth quarter happened.
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How a 7-6 Nail-Biter Became a 30-6 Blowout
If you’re looking at the monday night football scores from this Wild Card matchup, you’ll notice a massive gap. That gap was created by two defensive touchdowns and a complete meltdown by the Steelers' offense. Aaron Rodgers, who many hoped would bring a veteran spark to Pittsburgh’s postseason run, was harassed all night.
Will Anderson Jr. basically lived in the backfield. He jarred the ball loose from Rodgers on a third-and-11, which Sheldon Rankins scooped up for a 33-yard touchdown. That was the moment the wheels fell off.
- Texans Defense: Forced three turnovers and notched three sacks.
- Special Teams: Ka'imi Fairbairn was perfect, including a 51-yarder that felt like a dagger.
- The Final Blow: Calen Bullock picked off Rodgers and took it 50 yards to the house with less than three minutes left.
It's kinda crazy when you think about it—Houston had never won a road playoff game in their entire 24-year history. They were 0-6. Now, they're heading into the Divisional Round with the kind of momentum that makes Vegas oddsmakers nervous.
Why These Scores Matter for the Rest of the Playoffs
The fallout from these monday night football scores is already hitting the coaching carousel. Mike Tomlin is now tied with Marvin Lewis for the longest playoff losing streak by an NFL coach at seven games. That’s a heavy stat for a guy with a Super Bowl ring. The "words are cheap" post-game presser felt like a man who knows the seat is getting warm, even if he's a legend.
Meanwhile, the rest of the bracket is set. We saw the Seattle Seahawks absolutely crush the San Francisco 49ers 41-6 on Saturday night. If you’re keeping track, that means both the 49ers and the Steelers—two of the most storied franchises in the league—got held to six points in their respective playoff games this week.
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Historical Context: The 2025 Regular Season MNF Wrap-Up
To understand how we got here, you have to look back at the tail end of the 2025 regular season. The monday night football scores leading up to the playoffs were a harbinger of this defensive dominance.
Take Week 16, where the 49ers dropped 48 on the Colts. You’d think that offense would carry over, right? Wrong. Or look at Week 18, where the "Monday Night" branded games were actually played on a Saturday to accommodate playoff seeding. The league has become increasingly unpredictable with these primetime slots.
Recent MNF Results (The Road to the Wild Card)
- Jan 12, 2026 (Wild Card): Texans 30, Steelers 6
- Dec 29, 2025: Falcons 27, Rams 24
- Dec 22, 2025: 49ers 48, Colts 27
- Dec 15, 2025: Steelers 28, Dolphins 15
The irony is that the Steelers actually looked good in their mid-December Monday night game against Miami. They won 28-15. But playoff football is a different beast entirely. You can't rely on 175 total yards of offense and expect to beat a team like Houston that puts up 408.
What to Watch for in the Divisional Round
Since the Texans handled business on Monday night, the schedule for today and beyond is locked in. If you're following the bracket, Houston is traveling to Foxborough to face the New England Patriots.
That’s a tough draw. The Patriots, led by their #2 seed status, only allowed 3 points to the Chargers in their Wild Card game. We’re seeing a massive trend this postseason: defenses aren’t just stopping teams; they’re outscoring them.
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Actionable Insights for Fans and Bettors
If you are tracking monday night football scores to help with your playoff picks or just to win an argument at the bar, keep these three things in mind:
First, forget the "home field advantage" on primetime. Between the Seahawks' blowout and the Texans' road win, the home crowd hasn't been the factor it used to be in 2026.
Second, watch the turnover margin. In the last three major primetime games, the winning team has had a +2 turnover ratio or better. The Texans' two defensive scores on Monday night weren't just "lucky plays"—they were the result of a scheme that prioritizes aggressive ball-hawking over conservative zone coverage.
Lastly, pay attention to the injury reports for the next round. Houston lost Nico Collins to a concussion evaluation in the fourth quarter. If he’s out, that 30-6 scoreline becomes much harder to replicate against a disciplined Patriots secondary.
The 2026 playoffs have proven that historical streaks like the Steelers' MNF dominance are officially dead. The new era is about defensive points and explosive fourth quarters. Check the latest injury updates before the Texans-Patriots kickoff, as the loss of a WR1 could completely shift the offensive game plan for the AFC's hottest team.