The "Monday Night Football" game that just wrapped up at Acrisure Stadium didn't just give us a final score; it basically shifted the entire narrative of the AFC playoffs. If you were looking for a tight, down-to-the-wire defensive struggle, you got exactly that for about three quarters. Then, the wheels didn't just come off for the Pittsburgh Steelers—they disintegrated.
What was the score of Monday Night Football tonight?
The final score of Monday Night Football tonight was Houston Texans 30, Pittsburgh Steelers 6. It sounds like a blowout, right? Honestly, for the first forty-five minutes, it felt like anyone’s game. We headed into the fourth quarter with the Texans clinging to a razor-thin 7-6 lead. But then Houston’s "S.W.A.R.M." defense decided to take over the planet. They dropped 23 unanswered points in the final frame, and most of that damage didn't even come from the offense.
A Breakdown of the Scoring
The game started slow. Really slow. Chris Boswell knocked through two field goals for the Steelers, and C.J. Stroud found Christian Kirk for a 6-yard touchdown in the second quarter. That was it. That was the whole game until the clock started ticking down in the fourth.
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Then the floodgates opened:
- Ka’imi Fairbairn drilled a 51-yard field goal to make it 10-6.
- Sheldon Rankins scooped up an Aaron Rodgers fumble and rumbled 33 yards for a touchdown.
- Woody Marks punched in a 13-yard rushing TD to put the game out of reach.
- Calen Bullock capped the night with a 50-yard pick-six that made the stadium go silent.
Why the Texans Defense is Actually Terrifying
Everyone talks about C.J. Stroud, and for good reason. The kid is a stud. But tonight, he didn't even have to be great. He threw for under 250 yards and tossed an interception in the red zone that kept Pittsburgh in the hunt way longer than they deserved to be.
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The real story is the Houston defense. They sacked Aaron Rodgers four times. They forced three turnovers. They scored more touchdowns (two) than the entire Steelers offense did. When DeMeco Ryans talks about "finishing," this is exactly what he means. They allowed only 175 total yards of offense. In a playoff game! That’s basically unheard of in the modern NFL.
The End of an Era in Pittsburgh?
You've gotta feel for the Steelers fans tonight. This loss snapped a ridiculous 23-game winning streak for Pittsburgh at home on Monday Night Football. It was also the first time Mike Tomlin ever lost a home Monday night game.
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The vibes in the post-game presser were... heavy. Aaron Rodgers looked every bit of his age under that relentless Houston pressure, completing just 5 of 13 passes when the Texans sent the heat. With Tomlin now 0-7 in his last seven playoff appearances, the "is it time for a change?" chatter is going to be deafening this week. T.J. Watt called the loss "extremely frustrating," which feels like a massive understatement.
What’s Next for the Texans?
Houston doesn't have much time to celebrate. Since they took care of business tonight, they’ve earned a trip to Foxborough.
- The Matchup: Houston Texans at New England Patriots.
- The Stakes: A spot in the AFC Championship game.
- The Time: Sunday, January 18, 2026, at 3:00 PM ET.
The Texans proved tonight they can win on the road in January—something they had never done in franchise history before this evening. If their defense plays like that against the Patriots, we might be looking at a serious Super Bowl contender coming out of the South.
For the Steelers, the offseason starts tomorrow with more questions than answers. For Houston, the dream is very much alive. Keep an eye on the injury reports for Sheldon Rankins and Nico Collins heading into next week, as they’ll need every starter healthy to handle the Patriots' environment.