Aaron Rodgers Points to Missed Chances Against Texans Defense

The Houston Texans were able to walk into Acrisure Stadium for their Wild Card meetup against the Pittsburgh Steelers and come away with a statement 30-6 victory for the franchise's first-ever road playoff win, and in the process, took down the one and only Aaron Rodgers in what very well might be his last game on an NFL field.

The Texans defense had answers for just about anything Rodgers and the Steelers did. Pittsburgh was left without an offensive touchdown for the second time this season, leading to the future Hall of Famer to complete just 17 of 33 passes for 146 yards and one interception paired with a lost fumble, and in turn, forcing Houston into the next round to take on the New England Patriots rather than the Black and Gold.

In the eyes of Aaron Rodgers, though, the Steelers' shortcomings didn't just fall on the Texans' suffocating defense, but also a barrage of errors both he and the offense that left just too many opportunities out on the field to climb back from.

"We had some opportunities, and either drops, or pressure, or just total MAs, or not the right throw. I mean, we had a lot of chances. We had plays set up with missed assignments. We had opportunities to take shots, but not enough time," Rodgers said in his postgame presser. "We just didn't make the most of any of the little opportunities. It's good defense. You're not going to get many opportunities. When you get them, you've got to make the most of them."

"They've got a good defense, no doubt about it, but we had them on our home field and on our grass and had opportunities––especially in the first half––to put a lot of points on the board, and make it easier for our defense that was playing really well."

Texans' Defense Gave Aaron Rodgers Problems

A lot of that defense success against Rodgers came down to not just the well-rounded secondary all around the field, but also the elite tandem of edge rushers in Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr., who combined for 1.5 sacks, five QB hits, and four tackles, while also putting a load of pressure on this passing game throughout the night.

Rodgers, even when considering the talent both Texans' edge-rushers bring to the table, still felt as if the Steelers were prepared well heading into the matchup and made ideal in-game adjustments to counter their skillset as well. Yet, it wound up not amounting to much.

"I'd have to look at the tape, but they're good players. You know, at some point, they're going to get a chance when you're in a lot of one-dimensional passings. I feel like we would slide and chip to at least one of them most of the game, but they're both All-Pro caliber players."

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) looks on at the Jumbotron after his fumble resulted in a Houston Texans touchdown during the second half of the NFL Wild Card game at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, PA on January 12, 2026. | Michael Longo/For USA Today Network-PA / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

With that pressure and constricting coverage, the Steelers found themselves outmatched in first downs (21-13), third down efficiency (66.7%-14.3%), and saw the Texans log more than double Pittsburgh's total yards gained despite the offense not having its best and most seamless performance themselves.

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Regardless of those offensive ups and downs, the Texans' defense has proven all season that no matter who the competition is in front of them, their personnel on that side of the ball will give them a fighting chance each and every week.

For the past ten games, it's resulted in this team coming away with a victory in their back pocket, and this time, it came in what just might be Rodgers' final NFL outing, and keeps their Super Bowl hopes alive for one more week.

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