HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — The Houston Texans’ future in the 2026 NFL playoffs hinges on Monday night’s wild-card matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and it will take a history-making win to advance to the divisional round.
So far, the Texans are riding a nine-game win streak as the No. 5 seed in the AFC.
The Texans have never won a playoff game away from home, but Monday night gives them the chance to make history when they roll into Pittsburgh and take on the Steelers.
The Steelers love to intimidate visiting teams and proudly show off their glorious history inside the stadium with six Super Bowl trophies and busts of 32 Pro Football Hall of Famers who defined the black and gold.
Texans players told ABC13’s Greg Bailey that they’re not afraid of being the underdog and plan to pull out a win in the face of a challenge
“That’s exactly what’s fun about it,” Texans Safety Calen Bullock said. “The whole stadium is against us. It’s going to be loud in there, we know, and we’ve gotta feed on each other’s energy, and that’s what we gone do.”
“You get a chance to, kind of, be the villain,” Texans Center Jake Andrews said. “It’s Monday night, it’s going to be freezing cold here in Pittsburgh. Great tradition, great history, Wild Card Round. I mean, I don’t know what more you could really ask for.”
The players won’t only have to face temperatures right around freezing, but strong winds will also be a factor. It is said to be one of the toughest environments to kick in in the NFL.
ABC13 will be keeping an eye on Texans Place Kicker Kai’imi Fairbairn and his pregame warm-ups to gauge the strong winds in case it comes down to a field goal.
How to watch
Fans impatiently waiting for kickoff can tune in to ABC13’s “Countdown to Kickoff” starting at 6 p.m. to join Greg Bailey, Spencer Tillman, Bob Slovak, and Jonathan Bruce as they preview the game.
The main event follows soon after: fans can watch the Houston Texans play the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday, Jan. 12, at 7 p.m. on ABC13 or ESPN.
Fans can also tune in to watch pre-game coverage on ESPN, starting with “NFL Live” at 2 p.m. and “Monday Night Countdown” at 5 p.m.
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