Whether any of us thought the team would get here or not doesn’t matter. The Pittsburgh Steelers have won the AFC North and now host the Houston Texans in the AFC Wild-Card Game. Here’s everything you need to know about the game!
What: Houston Texans 12-5 at Pittsburgh Steelers 10-7
Where: Acrisure Stadium Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
When: Monday January 12th, 2026 815pmET
Weather: Temps in the low 30s with little to no chance of precipitation. Winds 10-15mph.
Surface: Natural Grass
Wagering Information: Texans -3 O/U 39.5
Last Week: The Texans defeated the Colts 38-30 in Houston while the Steelers defeated the Baltimore Ravens 26-24 in Pittsburgh.
TV: ESPN Joe Buck (play-by-play), Troy Aikman (analysis), Lisa Salters (field reporter), Laura Rutledge (field reporter)
TV Coverage in Your Area (courtesy 506sports.com): National TV Audience
Radio: Steelers Audio Network Rob King (play-by-play), Max Starks (analysis), Missi Matthews (field reporter)
Westwood One Radio: Kevin Harlan (play-by-play), Kurt Warner (analysis), Ross Tucker (field reporter)
Head Official: Craig Wrolstad. He’s an Athletic Director and graduate of the University of Washington. Wrolstad is in his 12th season as a head official. His crew oversaw the Texans’ win over the LAC on December 27th where 11 penalties were called. Eight of those went against the visiting Texans. His crew’s only Steelers’ game this season was the win over Indianapolis that saw 13 penalties called including eight against the Steelers. Overall, his crew averages 14 flags per game with the away team getting an average of one more flag per game than the home side.
Game Status (courtesy steelers.com) PIT: No. 92 DT Isaiahh Loudermilk * (Ankle) – Questionable
* In designated to return from IR window HOU: No. 23 S Jaylen Reed * (Forearm) – Questionable
No. 26 RB Jawhar Jordan (Ankle) – Out, No. 34 CB Ajani Carter * (Hamstring) – Questionable
* In designated to return from IR window
Injury Notes:
2025 FINAL NFL Ranks:
Total Offense: PIT 25th, HOU 18th
Passing Offense: PIT 22nd, HOU 14th
Rushing Offense: PIT 26th, HOU 22nd
Total Defense: PIT 26th, HOU 1st
Passing Defense: PIT 29th, HOU 6th
Rushing Defense: PIT 13th HOU 4th
AFC North Standings:
Pittsburgh 10-7*
Baltimore 8-9
Cincinnati 6-11
Cleveland 5-12
*Division Champion
This Week in the AFC North: N/A
What You Need to Know: Pittsburgh is 10-3 this season when they score 20 or more points… The Steelers are 8-4 against the AFC this season… The Black and Gold were 1-4 this season against playoff teams while the Texans were 4-4… Since 1970, the Steelers have played in the most postseason games of any franchise with 64… Pittsburgh is 6-9 all-time in the Wild-Card round and they are 3-4 at home.
Tomlin Time: Coach Tomlin is 4-2 all-time against the Texans… Mike Tomlin is unbeaten on Monday Night Football at home during his tenure… Coach T is now tied for ninth all-time in victories (193) with Steelers’ Hall of Fame Coach Chuck Noll… Tomlin now has 19 straight non-losing seasons…
Houston Texans Names to Know: QB C.J. Stroud, WR Nico Collins, RB Woody Marks, RB Nick Chubb, WR Jayden Higgins, DE Will Anderson, Jr., DE Danielle Hunter, CB Derek Stingley, Jr., K Ka’imi Fairbairn
What’s at Stake: A win sends the team to the Divisional Round. A loss sends that team into the Offseason.
All-Time Series: Steelers lead 5-3 and lead in Pittsburgh 3-1
Last Meeting: October 2023 in Houston. Texans 30 Steelers 6
Postseason History: This is the first-ever postseason meeting.
Steelers Regular Season Game Highs vs HOU:
PASSING: 325 yards Tommy Maddox 12/08/2002
RUSHING: 138 yards Willie Parker 09/07/2008
RECEIVING: 90 yards Antonio Brown 10/20/2014
SACKS: 3.0 James Harrison 09/07/2008, Mike Hilton 12/25/2017, Troy Polamalu 09/18/2005
INTERCEPTIONS: 1 by Five different players, Last: Mike Hilton 09/27/2020
Check out the latest SCB Steelers Podcast for more on the Steelers.
Three Things We Need to See for a Steelers’ Victory:
–Make Them Run. The Texans’ defense is really good against both the run and the pass. They are fast at all three levels too and while I could understand someone saying the Steelers’ best option offensively is to pack it in and try to overpower them, I’m going in the opposite direction. I’d really like to see Arthur Smith spread the Texans out and use Jaylen Warren between the tackles. At the same time, get the receivers dragging across the middle while running deep routes opposite of that. Making the Texans cover as much as possible and pursue as long as possible should be a good strategy.
–Big Punch Makers and Takers. We already know the Texans will take deep shots early. It’s part of their DNA and especially with C.J. Stroud as their QB. Conversely, Aaron Rodgers needs to take some shots as well. With D.K. Metcalf back and the speedy Calvin Austin III, I see no reason not to take a few shots. Ultimately, the defense that takes the punches best and the offense that delivers the best shots will win this game.
–Keep the Crowd Involved. During their current six-game postseason losing streak, the Steelers have trailed by 21 or more points in ALL six of those contests. Falling behind by that margin will send fans to the exits and those left will be chanting “Fire Tomlin!” It is therefore imperative to ride out any early storms, keep the game close and keep the crowd engaged. Look at how the faithful responded on Sunday night? T.J. Watt called it “one of the best crowds he’s ever been a part of there.” That energy needs to be there from kickoff to the final gun.
The ‘X’ Factor: Each week I will select a player from each team who I believe will need to play above and beyond in order for his team to win.
X-Factor Steelers: Calvin Austin III. With D.K. Metcalf back and likely garnering the bulk of the Texans’ attention, CAIII has to step up. Whether that means catching a couple of ‘go balls,’ a slant or two over the middle or just making the routine catch, his presence is going to be needed by Aaron Rodgers and company.
X-Factor Texans: Ka’imi Fairbairn. Back in the early days of domed stadiums, there used to be a significant dropoff between kickers performances indoors vs outdoors. Fairbairn has proven to be a very good kicker in either situation but Acrisure Stadium is a different animal. With temps in the low 30s expected and winds around 10-15mph, his skills will be tested. And in a close game, any miss will matter. Just ask Tyler Loop.
Prediction: I’m going to stick with my original prediction from the podcast Thursday night but I have to admit… I feel less and less confident about it. Houston is a really good team that is going to challenge the Steelers in all three phases. There is no area that can afford a letdown. The way the Steelers win this game is through turnovers on defense and possessing the ball on offense. Some how, some way, they’ll get it done and put an end to the streak.
Steelers 20 Texans 17
Season Prediction Record: 9-8
