Steelers Made Unfortunate NFL Playoff History in Wild-Card Loss to Texans

It’s been a rough go in the postseason for the Steelers of late.

The Steelers have lost seven straight playoff games, and their last five postseason losses have been by double digits. / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The Steelers’ playoff woes continued on Monday night as they put up little fight in a blowout loss to the Texans in the wild-card round. Pittsburgh has now lost each of its last seven playoff games, the longest active postseason losing streak in the NFL, dating back to the 2016 AFC championship game.

They’re still two more consecutive playoff losses short of tying the Lions’ all-time record of nine straight postseason defeats, but they did set some rather undesirable history on Monday. The Steelers became the first team in NFL history to lose five consecutive playoff games by 10 or more points.

That streak dates back to 2021, when Pittsburgh lost to the Browns in the wild-card round, 48–37. After that, it lost to the Chiefs in 2022, 42–21, the Bills in ‘24, 31–17, the Ravens last year, 28–14, and now the Texans, 30–6.

The Steelers are the first team in NFL history to lose 5 consecutive playoff games by double digits

— Dante Koplowitz-Fleming (@DanteKopFlem) January 13, 2026

The last time the Steelers were in a one-score playoff game was back in 2018 when they were defeated by the Jaguars, 45–42.

It’s a truly unfortunate streak the Steelers are mired in, as they continue to reach the postseason but can’t seem to stick around for more than a single round. They’re good enough to make the playoffs, but, especially lately, have been completely outmatched once they get there. It’s been a repetitive cycle for much of the latter half of Mike Tomlin’s tenure as the organization’s head coach. That has led to speculation about Tomlin’s future with the franchise, though the 53-year-old wasn’t ready to speak on that in the aftermath of Monday’s loss.

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