If you were looking for a tight, down-to-the-wire thriller to cap off Wild Card weekend, I hope you turned the TV off at halftime. Honestly, the final what's the score of the monday night game question has a pretty ugly answer for anyone wearing black and gold: Houston Texans 30, Pittsburgh Steelers 6.
It wasn't just a loss; it was a total system failure for Pittsburgh in front of a home crowd at Acrisure Stadium. For a while, it actually looked like a classic AFC grind-fest. At the half, Houston was clinging to a 7-6 lead, and it felt like the first team to 17 points was going to walk away with a ticket to the divisional round. Then the fourth quarter happened. Houston exploded for 23 unanswered points, turning a tense defensive struggle into a complete lopsided blowout.
How the Texans broke the game open
The scoreboard tells you the "what," but the "how" is where things get interesting. Houston didn't necessarily move the ball at will—C.J. Stroud actually had a pretty human night, going 17-for-26 for 155 yards. But their defense? Absolute monsters.
The turning point came early in the fourth quarter when the Texans were up 10-6. Aaron Rodgers, who had been under fire all night, got swallowed up by Will Anderson Jr. on a third-and-11. The ball popped loose, Sheldon Rankins scooped it up, and he rumbled 33 yards for a defensive touchdown. You could practically hear the air leave the stadium. Suddenly it was 17-6, and against this Texans defense, that felt like a mountain.
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Things just snowballed from there.
- Ka'imi Fairbairn drilled a 51-yarder.
- Woody Marks (the rookie) punched in a 13-yard rushing TD after a soul-crushing 11-play drive.
- Calen Bullock put the final nail in the coffin with a 50-yard pick-six off Rodgers with less than three minutes left.
The end of a legendary home streak
One of the wildest stats coming into this was the Steelers' dominance on Monday nights at home. They had won 23 straight home Monday Night Football games. That’s a streak that dates back decades. To see it end in a 24-point playoff blowout is kinda shocking, even if you knew Houston’s defense was legit.
Coach Mike Tomlin now shares a pretty miserable record with Marvin Lewis: seven straight playoff losses. For a franchise that defines itself by postseason success, that's a hard pill to swallow. After the game, Tomlin was his usual blunt self, saying "words are cheap" when asked what he’d tell the fans. He’s not wrong.
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Is this the end for Aaron Rodgers?
You have to wonder what’s going through Rodgers’ head right now. He finished the night 17-of-33 for 146 yards. No touchdowns. One interception (the pick-six). He was sacked four times and looked every bit of 42 years old while being chased by Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr.
When reporters asked if he’d be back in Pittsburgh for 2026, he basically shut it down, saying he wasn't going to talk about that yet. He spent the final two minutes of the game on the bench while Mason Rudolph took over for "mop-up" duty. It was a somber image for a guy who was supposed to be the missing piece for this roster.
Key Stats from the game
- Total Yards: Houston 408, Pittsburgh 175
- Third Down Efficiency: Pittsburgh was a dismal 2-of-14
- Turnovers: Pittsburgh gave it up three times (including two defensive TDs)
- Rushing: Woody Marks led the way for Houston, helping cap off that late-game surge
What’s next for the Texans?
Houston is officially a problem. This was their first road playoff win in franchise history—they were 0-6 previously. They aren't just winning; they’re suffocating teams. Their reward? A trip to Foxborough to play the New England Patriots this Sunday, January 18th.
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The Patriots took care of the Chargers 16-3 earlier in the weekend, so we’re looking at a matchup between two of the best scoring defenses left in the bracket. If you're a fan of "old school" football where points are hard to come by, that's the game to watch.
Next Steps for NFL Fans:
Keep an eye on the injury report for Texans star receiver Nico Collins. He left the game in the fourth quarter for a concussion evaluation and didn't return. If he’s out for the New England game, Stroud is going to have a much tougher time against that Patriots secondary. Also, check the betting lines early; Houston opened as a slight underdog against New England despite their 10-game winning streak.