Texans, Steelers prepare for ‘old-school’ brawl in AFC wild-card round
The Pittsburgh Steelers haven't won a playoff game in nearly nine years.
Now the NFL's best defense stands in the way and threatens to impose another unhappy ending.
Aaron Rodgers will be asked to solve the defensive unit of the Texans when Pittsburgh hosts Houston on Monday night during the AFC wild-card round.
"It's win or go home at this point," Steelers left tackle Dylan Cook said. "We obviously want to win, but we just got to go out and execute our job and take it one play at a time."
The Texans, who went 12-5 in the regular season, are preparing for a brawl in the Steel City.
"It's going to be old-school football and it's going to be a physical game," Houston coach DeMeco Ryans said. "If you like football, you should be excited about it, and I'm ready for it."
The Steelers have dropped six consecutive playoff games since defeating the Kansas City Chiefs in the divisional round on Jan. 15, 2017.
Pittsburgh lost to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game seven days later and since has followed up with five straight first-game setbacks.
Last season, the Steelers lost 28-14 to the Baltimore Ravens in the wild-card round. Coincidentally, Pittsburgh (10-7 in the regular season) beat Baltimore 26-24 last Sunday night to gain the AFC North title and earn the clash against Houston.
The Texans won their final nine regular-season games. While they have a standout quarterback in C.J. Stroud, it is the defense led by defensive ends Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter that sets the tone.
Houston allowed a league-low 277.2 yards per game this season and ranked second in points allowed at 17.4 per game. The Texans also ranked second with a plus-17 takeaway margin.
Hunter finished third in the NFL with 15 sacks and Anderson tied for eighth with 12. Star Derek Stingley Jr., fellow cornerback Kamari Lassiter and safeties Jalen Pitre and Calen Bullock all had four interceptions.
"They've just got a kick-butt unit," Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin said. "They do. They've got a top-flight edge tandem in Hunter and Anderson. They've got a top-flight corner tandem on the outside, and so they rush very well. They cover very well. They're not trying to split the atom schematically. They don't have to when you have corners and edge rushers like that."
Stroud is playing in the playoffs for the third straight season and brings a 2-2 postseason mark into the contest.
During the regular season, the 24-year-old passed for 3,041 yards and 19 touchdowns against eight interceptions despite missing three games due to a concussion.
Meanwhile, Rodgers has played well for the Steelers and had 3,322 yards and 24 touchdowns against seven interceptions in 16 games. He hasn't been picked off a single time during his last seven outings.
"I'm a big fan of Aaron, I love what he does," Stroud said. "His mechanics are through the roof. ... He's a heck of a player and I respect him and he's doing it at a high level in Year 21 (of his career)."
Rodgers has an 11-10 postseason record but his last victory came in the 2020 season's playoffs for the Green Bay Packers.
The Steelers hope to get a boost from receiver DK Metcalf (team-best 850 receiving yards, six TDs), who is back after a two-game suspension due to an incident with a fan in Detroit.
"DK is the No. 1 receiver, so it's great having DK back," Rodgers said. "He's real thankful to be back, I know. And we're all thankful to have him back as well."
Of course, Ryans wasn't so thrilled about the timing.
"We have to step up to the challenge there," Ryans said of defending Metcalf. "We have to play physical as well versus him. It's going to be a tough challenge. He's done a great job his entire career of making big plays down the field. I know they're excited to get him back."
Four Texans missed practice Thursday -- Lassiter (ankle/knee), defensive end Denico Autry (knee), offensive lineman Tytus Howard (ankle) and running back Jawhar Jordan (ankle).
Running back Jaylen Warren (illness) was the only Pittsburgh player to sit out.