PITTSBURGH —The Pittsburgh Steelers went from possibly having the ball deep in their opponent's territory with a chance of going up to watching the Houston Texans carry an advantage too far for them to track down.
After a 30-6 Wild Card loss, Mike Tomlin's team is still searching for its first playoff win since 2017.
Down 10-6 with under 13 minutes to go, Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers launched a deep ball down the left sideline, trying to connect with Calvin Austin III. It caromed off Texans cornerback Kamari Lassiter 's hand, jumping back into the air for Austin to try to lay out for.
Austin was a fraction of a second too late, as the ball bounced off the grass into his hands.
Two plays later, Texans edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. surged around Dylan Cook and slapped the ball out of Rodgers' cock back. Sheldon Rankins plucked it off the ground and rumbled 33 yards to the end zone, leaving the Acrisure Stadium crowd stunned.
The Steelers' offense was lackluster for most of the night, failing to take full advantage of three takeaways by its defense. Rodgers and his unit totaled ___ yards on the night.
Pittsburgh entered halftime having gone 0 for 6 on third down and with only 94 total yards. The Steelers finished with only 175 yards of offense, while Houston racked up 408 yards.
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers during a game against the Baltimore Ravens on Jan. 4, 2025. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
Early on, the Steelers got on the scoreboard first when Chris Boswell nailed a 32-yard field goal with 6:02 remaining in the first quarter. Four minutes later, rookie outside linebacker Jack Sawyer got to and strip-sacked former Ohio State teammate C.J. Stroud . Fellow rookie Yahya Black hopped on the fumble, but the Steelers couldn't capitalize, going three-and-out right after.
The Texans then embarked on a 14-play, 92-yard march, punctuated by a 6-yard scoring connection between Stroud and Christian Kirk .
On Houston's next possession, Keeanu Benton jarred the ball loose from Stroud after he dropped and picked up a snap. T.J. Watt recovered that fumble. Afterward, the Steelers could only manage a 34-yard Boswell field goal, which cut Houston's lead to 7-6 with 1:57 to go before halftime.
The Texans drove to the Steelers' 14 out of the midway point, but Stroud fired an interception to Brandin Echols on a third-and-4, killing the chance to stretch Houston's lead. The Steelers started their series on their own 4, but picked up a couple of first downs and got out of the shadow of their own goalpost.
That drive ended when Aaron Rodgers tried to hit Calvin Austin III on a deep ball, and Austin toppled, looking for a pass interference call on Kamari Lassiter that didn't come.
Late in the third quarter, Stroud and the Texans botched another snap, which Steelers outside linebacker Alex Highsmith almost pounced on. On the ensuing third-and-15, Stroud connected with Kirk for a 46-yard pickup. Pittsburgh's defense stiffened, limiting the visitors to a 51-yard Kaimi Fairbairn field goal.
The Texans added on with Woody Marks ' 13-yard rushing touchdown with 3:38 to go, then safety Calen Bullock picked Rodgers off and housed it from 50 yards just over a minute later. Houston advances to play the New England Patriots in the divisional round on Sunday.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : Steelers Stifled by Texans Defense in Latest Playoff Loss
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