PITTSBURGH —The Pittsburgh Steelers can snap their streak of six straight playoff losses, dating back to then 2016 season, agains the Houston Texans on Monday Night Football.
Gameday, No. 4 Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7) vs No. 5 Houston Texans (12-5)
Monday, Jan. 12, 2025, 8:15 p.m.Acrisure Stadium (68, 400, Grass)
SN Coverage: Alan Saunders, Ed Thompson
, Brendan Howe
Weather
:clear, 33°
TV:ABC, ESPN (Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Lisa Salters, Laura Rutledge), ESPN2 ( Payton Manning, Eli Manning, Ben Roethlisberger, J.J. Watt
)
Radio:Steelers Radio Network, 102.5 WDVE-FM, SiriusXM
225, ( Rob King
, Max Starks
, Missi Matt
hews), Westwood One (Kevin Harlan, Kurt Warner, Ross Tucker)
Latest NFL lines : Steelers +3, Steelers +155, over/under 38.5
Pittsburgh Steelers rookie defensive lineman Derrick Harmon chases New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye on Sept. 21, 2025. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
No. 1 Denver Broncos
BYE
No. 7 Los Angeles Chargers
No. 2 New England Patriots
No. 6 Buffalo Bills 27No. 3 Jacksonville Jaguars 24
No. 6 Buffalo BillsNo. 1 Denver Broncos
No. 4 Pittsburgh Steelers or No. 5 Houston TexansNo. 2 New England Patriots
Pittsburgh Steelers defenders Keeanu Benton and Cole Holcomb tackle Baltimore Ravens running back Keaton Mitchell on Dec. 7, 2025. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
| Team |
Record |
Conf |
AFC North |
AFCN Head to Head |
| Pittsburgh Steelers |
10-7 |
8-4 |
4-2 |
W: CLE, CIN, at BAL, BALL: at CIN, at CLE |
| 8-9 |
5-7 |
3-3 |
W: at CLE, CLE, at CINL: CIN, PIT, at PIT |
|
| 6-11 |
5-7 |
3-3 |
W: at CLE, PIT, at BALL: at PIT, BAL, CLE |
|
| 5-12 |
4-8 |
2-4 |
W: PIT, at CIN L: CIN, at BAL, at PIT, BAL |
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jaylen Warren at practice on Dec. 18, 2025. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
| Player |
Roster |
Injury |
THU |
FRI |
SAT |
Status |
| TE Jonnu Smith |
Active |
Glute |
FP |
LP |
FP |
IN |
| Active |
Illness |
DNP |
FP |
FP |
IN |
|
| IR-Return |
Right high ankle sprain |
IR |
LP |
LP |
OUT IR-RETURN |
|
| IR (Playoffs) |
Right knee |
IR |
IR |
IR |
IR |
|
| LT Broderick Jones |
IR (Week 17) |
Neck |
IR |
IR |
IR |
IR |
| IR (Week 13) |
Hyperextended right knee |
IR |
IR |
IR |
IR |
|
| IR (Week 7) |
Hamstring |
IR |
IR |
IR |
IR |
|
| IR (Season) |
Broken left forearm |
IR |
IR |
IR |
IR-SEASON |
|
| CB Donte Kent |
IR (Season) |
Right ankle/knee |
LP |
DNP |
IR |
IR-SEASON |
| CB Cory Trice |
IR (Season) |
Hamstring, Knee |
DNP |
IR |
IR |
IR-SEASON |
| IR (Season) |
Left ACL tear |
IR |
IR |
IR |
IR-SEASON |
|
| IR (Season) |
Knee |
IR |
IR |
IR |
IR-SEASON |
|
| IR (Season) |
ACL sprain |
IR |
IR |
IR |
IR-SEASON |
|
| DT Dean Lowry |
IR (Season) |
Knee |
IR |
IR |
IR |
IR-SEASON |
| IR (Season) |
Achilles |
IR |
IR |
IR |
IR-SEASON |
Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back Tre Flowers at practice on Dec. 25, 2025. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
Wide receiver DK Metcalf was reinstated from his suspension. Cornerback Tre Flowers was waived from the active roster, cleared waivers and re-signed to the practice squad . Offensive tackle David Sharpe was released from the practice squad.
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf at practice on Jan. 8, 2026. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
| QB |
2 Mason Rudolph
|
17 Skylar Thompson |
|
| RB |
30 Jaylen Warren |
35 Lew Nichols
|
|
| WR |
16 Adam Thielen |
||
| WR |
4 DK Metcalf |
89 Brandon Johnson |
|
| WR |
19 Calvin Austin III |
10 Roman Wilson |
82 John Rhys Plumlee
|
| TE |
88 Pat Freiermuth
|
89 Donald Parham |
|
| LT |
60 Dylan Cook |
71 Andrus Peat |
77 Broderick Jones |
| LG |
|||
| C |
54 Zach Frazier |
64 Max Scharping |
|
| RG |
68 Jack Driscoll |
79 Steven Jones |
|
| RT |
76 Troy Fautanu |
67 Calvin Anderson69 Doug Nester |
|
| K |
|||
| P |
|||
| LS |
Pittsburgh Steelers defensive linemen at practice on Jan. 8, 2026. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
| DL |
91 Logan Lee |
92 Isaiahh Loudermilk72 Anthony Goodlow |
|
| NT |
78 Yahya Black |
|
|
| DL |
94 Dean Lowry65 Kyler Baugh |
||
| OLB |
33
Jack Sawyer
|
||
| ILB |
|||
| ILB |
55 Cole Holcomb
|
||
| OLB |
90 T.J. Watt |
51 Nick Herbig |
|
| CB |
24 Joey Porter Jr. |
23 Tre Flowers |
|
| CB |
42 James Pierre |
22 Asante Samuel Jr. |
27 Cory Trice |
| NB |
34 Donte Kent 38 D'Shawn Jamison |
||
| FS |
21 Chuck Clark |
||
| SS |
29 Kyle Dugger |
25 DeShon Elliott28 Miles Killebrew |
|
| PR |
19 Calvin Austin III |
13 Scotty Miller |
34 Donte Kent |
| KR |
14 Kenneth Gainwell30 Jaylen Warren |
20 Kaleb Johnson10 Roman Wilson |
37 Trey Sermon38 D'Shawn Jamison |
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett (8) is stopped by Houston Texans safety Jimmie Ward, right, during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 1, 2023, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
The Steelers were dominated both offensively and defensively by an under-manned Houston Texans squad in a 30-6 Houston victory at NRG Stadium on Oct. 1,2023.
Houston, playing without its top three offensive tackles and with over a half-dozen linemen out due to injury, instead dominated the line of scrimmage. Running back Dameon Pierce rushed for a season-high 86 yards after rushing for 100 in the first three games combined.
The Steelers kept Pierce out of the end zone, but rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud had all kinds of room to operate all day long. Stroud was hit six times, but was not sacked in the game. He threw a touchdown pass to Nico Collins in the first quarter to start the scoring.
After that strike, the Steelers were able to slow the Texans, but never stop them. Houston racked up an incredible 451 to 225 advantage in total yards. Three Ka'imi Fairbairn field goals pushed the advantage to 16-0 Houston by the end of the first half.
In the second, the Steelers focused on running the football and found some success. Najee Harris finished the day with 14 carries for 71 yards at a 5.1-yard average — his best of the season. But on three long drives, the Steelers were twice forced to settle for Chris Boswell field goals.
On the third such drive, with the Steelers trailing, 16-6, head coach Mike Tomlin decided to go for it on a 4th and 1 inside field goal range. The 4th and 1 play was run out of the shotgun, and Kenny Pickett scrambled into pressure. He was sacked and injured on the play, ending the hope of a Pittsburgh offensive threat and his afternoon.
Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) gets away from Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt (90) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2020, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Don Wright)
The Steelers are 5-3 all-time against the Texans in regular season action, since the Houston club was founded as an expansion team in 2002. The Steelers are 3-1 all-time against the Texans at Heinz Field/Acrisure Stadium, and have won three straight since the Texans won the inaugural matchup in Pittsburgh in 2002.
The teams have faced one another just three times in the last decade, with the Texans winning in Houston in 2023 and the Steelers winning in Pittsburgh in 2020 and in Houston in 2017.
Houston Texans quarterbacks coach Jerrod Johnson looks on during warm ups prior to an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Sunday, Nov 26, 2023, in Houston. (AP Photo/Maria Lysaker)
Wide receiver Justin Watson is a Bridgeville, Pa., native and attended South Fayette High School. Watson, 29, is in his first year with the Texans after spending his first seven professional seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Kansas City Chiefs . He's won three Super Bowl wings in his career, in 2020 with Tampa Bay and 2022 and 2023 with Kansas City.
This season, Watson has played just three games, missing most of the season due to a calf injury. He returned from the injured reserve for the regular season finale against the Indianapolis Colts , but was held without a catch. He finished the regular season with three catches for 30 yards.
Houston quarterbacks coach Jerrod Johnson spent the 2012 offseason with the Steelers during his playing career, but did not appear in a regular-season game with the team. The Steelers interviewed him for their offensive coordinator vacancy in 2024, before deciding on Arthur Smith.
Center Juice Scruggs and injured safety Jaylen Reed both played collegiately at Penn State. Practice squad wide receiver Jared Wayne went to Pitt. Defensive tackle Kurt Hinish , who is on the physically unable to perform list, is a Pittsburgh native and a Central Catholic alum.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : Steelers vs Texans Wild Card Gameday: Injury Updates, Depth Charts, TV Info, Betting Lines, More
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