The Day After the Day After…when the raw, immediate emotions from the aftermath of a game diminish into the realm of clarity and the proverbial (or literal) hangover no longer haunts the mind. With that, a review of Wild Card Weekend:
PITTSBURGH, PA – JANUARY 12: Sheldon Rankins #90 of the Houston Texans celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the second half of an AFC Wild Card Playoff game at Acrisure Stadium on January 12, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images) Getty Images
So, about that defense?: In the “Well, No [KITTEN] Department” Houston’s playoff success would ride on its defensive success. It would take them a couple of drives to settle in, punctuated by allowing two receptions for 42 yards to DK (aka DJ) Metcalf, returning from a two-game suspension. In the 1st two drives, the Texans allowed 88 yards and 3 points. After that, 87 yards on 8 drives, with 21 of those on the final drive when the game was all but over, with only 3 points allowed, and that on a drive that started inside the HOU 20. Not coincidently, DK (aka DJ) Metcalf became “MIA” Metcalf, as he did nothing else after those first two drives. The Steelers only got 63 yards from their running game, which was so instrumental in taking down Baltimore last week. Forcing Rodgers into a pass-only mode against that pass rush is asking for trouble, and Pittsburgh got all the bad trouble they could ask for, as those final 8 drives yielded 4.0 sacks, 8.0 TFLs and 2 turnovers directly converted into defensive TDs. It was a total team effort, with the DL hounding Rodgers, the LB shutting down the running game and limiting the TE play and the secondary preventing any significant passing damage. Pittsburgh had its worst playoff point total since 1996 and its lowest playoff yardage total since 1947 (175 total yards).
The Big Game Penalties Didn’t Really Materialize: For the game, Houston had 6 accepted penalties for 44 yards. In previous big road games under Ryans, the Texans racked up the flags like they were at a post-Christmas clearance sale. Yet, in this game in one of the more hostile road venues for teams, the team did not fall prey to as many key penalties as they have in the past. Houston only logged two false start penalties, normally a common feature on the road. There was a big DPI on Pittsburgh’s second drive that yielded 3 points, but given the circumstances, Houston played a relatively clean game, penalty-wise.
Streak-busting: A lot of streaks, good and bad, came to an end Monday Night:
The Texans’ 6-game road playoff losing streakHouston’s 2-game Monday Night Football losing streakThe Steelers’ 22-game home Monday Night Football winning streakThe City of Houston’s 9-game NFL road playoff game losing streak (last road win for a Houston-based NFL playoff team, 1988 Oilers at Cleveland 24-23)
Some streaks that still survive:
Houston’s current 10-game winning streakHouston’s 3-game Wild Card Round winning streakPittsburgh’s 7-game playoff losing streak
A Night When Special Teams Didn’t Stand Out, but Didn’t Have To: With two of the better special teams units going at it, if figured that these units might ultimately decide the game. Honestly, they really didn’t. Boswell produced the totality of Pittsburgh’s points. Fairbairn was money on a big-time 51-yard FG, but he did have one of the more blunderous XP attempts we’ve ever seen. He’ll get some ribbing in the film sessions. The kick coverage units for Houston were not stellar, as Pittsburgh did get some good yards on their returns. Townsend had a bad punt to start the game but did well enough on his two other punts. For once, Special Teams didn’t really carry the Texans.
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA – JANUARY 12: Christian Kirk #13 of the Houston Texans and C.J. Stroud #7 of the Houston Texans celebrate after a touchdown in the second quarter of an NFL wild card playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium on January 12, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) Getty Images
0:44, 3rd Quarter. HOU ball on its 18, 3rd and 15. CJ Stroud pass to Christian Kirk for 46 yards.
One could say that the Sheldon Rankins fumble recovery for a TD in the 4th quarter was the decisive play, which effectively put the game out of reach by making the score 17-6. However, in reviewing the game, I would go with another big play. Late in the 3rd quarter, the game still stood 7-6. Defenses, and Houston’s offensive miscues, kept this a one-kick game. Houston, after yet another near-disastrous Stroud fumble, faced a 3rd and long, one that if Houston did not convert likely portended the Steelers getting good field position for Rodgers and the Steelers’ magic/bull[KITTEN] to make something happen. Instead, Stroud took the shotgun snap, and with a clean pocket, found a breaking Kirk outracing his defender cutting deep across the field to the right side. Stroud hit Kirk in stride and by the time the Steelers brought him down after a long run after catch along the right sideline, Houston sat with the ball at the PIT 36. 4 plays later, Houston hit a 51-yard FG, upping the lead to 10-6. Here, Houston gained breathing room, knowing that a Boswell kick couldn’t beat them on one drive. That FG kick-started (pun sort of intended) Houston 23-point 4th Quarter, turning a defensive rock fight into a comfortable Texans’ win. Also, it is the 2nd straight WC game where Stroud overcame a bad snap/fumble to make a game-altering play. If Houston doesn’t convert on that 3rd and long, the 4th Quarter might have gone differently.
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA – JANUARY 12: Calen Bullock #2 of the Houston Texans celebrates after returning an interception for a touchdown in the fourth quarter of an NFL wild card playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium on January 12, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images) Getty Images
24: Average margin of victory in Wild Card Playoff games under Ryans. With their 30-6 blasting of the Steelers, Houston has won their last three Wild Card games by exactly 24.0 points. In Ryans’ first WC game, they crushed the Browns 45-17. His second WC game saw a 32-12 bludgeoning of the Chargers and you have Monday’s result.
3: Consecutive Wild Card games that Houston logged a INT-returned for a TD. Going back to HOU’s WC dominance, the game against Cleveland saw two Texans log Pick-Sixes, followed by Eric Murray’s Pick-Six against the Chargers. In this game, Houston waited until the bitter end, but Calen Bullock got the obligatory INT for a TD to end the scoring for this game.
PITTSBURGH, PA – JANUARY 12: Jalen Pitre #5 of the Houston Texans defends against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the second half of an AFC Wild Card Playoff game at Acrisure Stadium on January 12, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images) Getty Images
OC Nick Caley. Was the offense perfect? No. The final drive before halftime seemed disjointed. However, it is hard to find fault with the play-calling. Execution could have been a lot better (more later). However, the designs, concepts and play-calling itself were not the issue. Caley played to the team’s strength, and Houston was moving the ball on most of its drives. Riding the running game in the 4th Quarter and not trying to force a passing game demonstrated good logic. Also, Houston went 2-for-3 on Red Zone opportunities, with the one failed attempt a bad Stroud throw.
WR Christian Kirk: In this game alone, Kirk validated Houston’s trade with Jacksonville this offseason. 8 receptions/144 yards/1 TD. His two massive 2nd half receptions more than made up for the loss of Nico Collins in the 4th. Houston needs this type of effort next week.
S Jalen Pitre: Pitre was a heat-seeking missile against the Steelers. He was credited with two TFLs as part of his team-leading 7 tackles, but it felt like he was in the backfield more often than most Steelers’ running backs. (Honestly, you could just give the entire defense a game ball. No wrong answers there).
SHOULD BE FORCED TO CLEAN UP A PITTSBURGH BAR FLOOR FULL OF STALE IRON CITY BEER WITH A TORN TERRIBLE TOWEL WHILE LISTENING TO RECORDINGS OF URINATINGTREE STEELERS’ POLKA WHILE GOING YINZER MODE ON REPEAT.
QB CJ Stroud/C Jake Andrews: Expect a LOT of work on the QB/Center exchange this week in practice. Gillette Stadium doesn’t figure to be any easier for ball-handling/snap receiving. How close did Houston come to seeing this turn into a Steelers’ 30-6 win with all of the botched snaps between these two? Both take blame here, as Stroud had trouble handling snaps he was expecting and Andrews sometimes gave Stroud snaps he wasn’t expecting.
QB CJ Stroud’s ball security: Sense a theme here? Would anyone be surprised if Ryans goes all Friday Night Lights and duct-tapes a football to CJ Stroud’s arm for the rest of the week to reinforce ball security? Stroud had a bad INT in the 3rd Quarter, and that wasn’t his worst ball-handling decision in the game. What made this so odd was that Stroud hadn’t fumbled all year, and Houston generally took care of the football. Hopefully for the fans, this is a one-off, but still, expect Stroud’s practice sessions to be sponsored by the words “ball security”.
However uneven, however stressful at times, Houston is moving on to the Divisional Round once again. They return to New England, where they are 0-2 in Divisional Round Matchups, for a Sunday, 2 PM CST kickoff on ESPN/Disney+