Steelers Offense Crumbles in Season-Ending Loss to Texans

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers lost their seventh straight playoff game, continuing their playoff win drought that has lasted since the 2016 season, falling to the Houston Texans in a 31-6 blowout.

The Texans won the toss, electing to defer to the Steelers for the first possession of the game.

The Steelers took the field, with Aaron Rodgers helming the team at quarterback. Chunk plays by running back Jaylen Warren and wide receiver DK Metcalf moved the Steelers to midfield, but the drive stalled and the Steelers sent Corliss Waitman out to punt.

On the ensuing Texans drive, quarterback C.J. Stroud found wide receiver Christian Kirk for a 36 yard pass, but the drive stalled after a pressure by edge rusher T.J. Watt. A punt by Tommy Townsend ensued, with it landing only 22 yards downfield to land at the Steelers 28-yard line.

The coming Steelers drive started with a big play by Metcalf, who grabbed a pass by quarterback Aaron Rodgers for a 25-yard gain. After small gains found the team nearly within the redzone, a missed pass to tight end Jonnu Smith made it all the more important to gain points. A missed pass to wide receiver Calvin Austin III made it third down with ten to go, and a Marques Valdez-Scantling catch landed short of the line to gain. A Chris Boswell field goal attempt was good, and the Steelers took a 3-0 lead. This was their first lead in their last ten quarters of playoff football, dating back to their game against the Chiefs on Jan 16, 2022.

When the Texans took the field, running back Woody Marks was able to keep the drive alive early despite tough tackles by the Steelers' defense. On a third down play across midfield, Stroud found wide receiver Xavier Hutchinson against Steeler's wideout against James Pierre for a 16 yard gain. On the following play, linebacker Jack Sawyer forced a strip sack which was recovered by Steelers' nose tackle Yahya Black to complete a turnover and give the Steelers the football.

A drop by Metcalf on a strong throw by Rodgers slowed the momentum on second down by the Steelers, but a pass by Valdes-Scantling set up a fourth-down-and-long. The ensuing Waitman punt landed within the 10-yard line, setting up tough field position for the Texans.

Texans Emerge Above The Pressure

The Texans, however, were undaunted. Stroud moved down the field with ease, as Marks helped to move the team into favorable field position to make it Texans ball within the Steelers 40 yard line. Then, Marks found a twenty yard gain before Stroud found Kirk for a six-yard pass to make it 7-3.

The ensuing Steelers drive resulted in a three-and-out. Following that, the Steelers defense took the field to continue the game. After a 4-yard rush by Marks, edge rusher T.J Watt forced a fumble that was recovered by nose tackle Keeanu Benton for a fumble recovery on the Texans 23-yard line. After a drive that saw the Steelers find a first down before Rodgers was sacked, Boswell returned once again to give the Steelers 3 more points on a 35-yard field goal. The Texans led 7-6 as the two-minute warning hit.

Jan 12, 2026; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) throws during the first half of an AFC Wild Card Round game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Stroud and the Texans were unable to gain significant ground, leading to a punt with time expiring in the second quarter. The Texans were set to take over as the second half begun.

Stroud and the Texans took the field, and Stroud was able to find wide receiver Jayden Higgins for a quick first down to begin the half. Back to back gains of 14 yards each had the Texans just outside the redzone with the Houston offense rolling. Back to back rushes by Marks got the Texans to the redzone. After a pass to tight end Dalton Schultz, Stroud evaded a sack to try to pass. When he did so, he forced a pass near the goal line, and defensive back Brandin Echols intercepted the football to give the Steelers the ball down 6-7.

A false start began the Steelers' drive, and a pass to Calvin Austin lost yards to begin the drive. On third down and nine, Rodgers found Valdes-Scantling for a first down to keep the drive alive. On third down and long, Calvin Austin III was targeted by Rodgers, and was contacted but did not draw a flag, forcing a Waitman punt.

The Texans' drive saw the first three-and-out by the team's offense, with one catch, an incomplete pass and a sack forcing a 60-yard Townsend punt that gave the Steelers the ball at the 24-yard line.

A catch by Adam Thielen for 21 yards began the drive for the Steelers, as they began to attempt to take advantage of a one-point game late in the third quarter. After that, passes to tight end Jonnu Smith and miscommunication led to a 14-yard loss on a Rodgers fumble that forced a Waitman punt. The Texans took over from the Steelers 24 yard line.

Steelers Offense Can't Find A Point

The first big play of the second half came on a third down conversion with time winding down in the third quarter. Stroud found Kirk for a 49 yard gain to put the Texans at the Steelers 36-yard line. The Texans found it quite easy to move towards the Steelers redzone, but their drive stalled and they were forced to rely on a Ka'imi Fairbairn field goal to make it 10-6 Texans as the fourth quarter began.

After a fourteen yard gain by Gainwell on the ground, an incomplete pass and a loss on the ground by Gainwell led to a Rodgers fumble that Texans defensive lineman Sheldon Rankings returned for a 33-yard touchdown. With 11:23 to play, the Steelers trailed 17-6.

Despite tight end Pat Freiermuth gaining a first down quickly, the Steelers would punt on fourth down on the next set of downs to give the Texans the ball back with 9:36 remaining. A nearly immediate first down drained the clock more for the Texans, and a Kirk gain for 33 yards let the clock go below 5 minutes to play. A flag by linebacker Nick Herbig put the Texans half the distance to the goal line, which allowed them to set up a Woody Marks touchdown to make it 24-6 after a Fairbairn extra point.

Back to back passes found themselves incomplete, and the Gainwell reception on third down was well short of the line to gain. Rodgers' fourth down pass was intercepted by Calen Bullock, who took it into the end zone to make it 30-6 on a 50-yard pick six.

A drive by the Steelers went three-and-out, with Mason Rudolph running the offense instead of Rodgers. Warren got the offense on the Texans' side of the field, but the time expired.

The Steelers' season ended with a Wild Card loss, falling to the Texans 30-6.

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