The wait continues for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
So does the weight.
The drought without a playoff victory is nine years and counting for the Steelers after they were beaten by the Houston Texans, 30-6, Monday night in an AFC wild-card round game at Acrisure Stadium.
The Texans, winners of 10 in a row, secured their first road playoff victory in franchise history with a 23-point fourth quarter that included a pair of defensive touchdowns. They will play at the New England Patriots in the divisional round. The Steelers’ season ends with another opening-round playoff ouster after a 10-7 regular season that included an AFC North title.
The Steelers hadn’t lost a home Monday night game since 1991, but that 23-game winning streak was no match for the team’s playoff failures. They’ve lost seven times in the postseason since defeating Kansas City in a divisional round game after the 2016 season.
“I don’t necessarily compare it to any other moment,” coach Mike Tomlin said. “It’s the here and now, and certainly it’s difficult, but that’s what we sign up for. That’s the life we live.”
Despite never having a losing season in 19 years with the Steelers, Tomlin’s playoff record dropped to 8-12. He enters a crossroads of his career with two years remaining on his contract and a fan base frustrated with the lack of postseason progress.
“I’m not even in that mindset as I sit here tonight,” Tomlin said about his future. “I’m more in the mindset of what transpired in this stadium, and certainly what we did and didn’t do. Not a big-picture mentality as I sit here tonight.”
Unlike so many of those other playoff setbacks, the Steelers were competitive until late. They trailed by one point at halftime and by four with 13 minutes left. The Texans pulled away with three touchdowns in the final 11 minutes, 23 seconds, including a 33-yard fumble return for a touchdown and a 50-yard interception return for another score.
Woody Marks rushed for 112 yards on 19 carries and scored on a 13-yard run in the fourth quarter. The Texans had 164 yards on the ground and piled up 408 against the Steelers.
“It got away from us,” outside linebacker Alex Highsmith said.
The Steelers offense, meantime, had one of its worst performances in franchise playoff history despite the return of top wide receiver DK Metcalf from a two-game suspension. They totaled 175 yards, their fewest in a postseason game since January 1997 when they totaled 213 in a 28-3 loss at New England. Entering their final drive, they were on par with the franchise low for postseason futility: They totaled 154 yards in a 21-0 divisional playoff loss to Philadelphia in 1947.
“They ruled the day,” Tomlin said of the Texans’ top-ranked defense. “They had a reputation for that coming in, and they confirmed it with their performance. That’s just how it goes.”
Aaron Rodgers completed 17 of 33 passes for 146 yards and two turnovers that led directly to touchdowns. His last attempt, perhaps the final throw of his 21-year career, was the interception that Calen Bullock returned for a touchdown.
“I don’t feel like we ever got the momentum on our side, honestly,” Rodgers said. “We had a lot of chances. Defense played really good in the first half. They’ve got a good defense, but we had a lot of opportunities. A lot of opportunities. Didn’t make the most out of hardly any of them.”
Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud was charged with five fumbles, losing two. He also was intercepted once, but the Steelers managed just three points off those turnovers.
Stroud completed 21 of 32 passes for 250 yards and threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Christian Kirk in the second quarter.
The Texans took the second-half kickoff and seemed poised to build on their 7-6 lead when they drove to the Steelers 14. On third-and-4, Stroud faced pressure in the pocket, stepped up and threw to the right for Xavier Hutchinson. Brandin Echols intercepted at the 4, marking the third takeaway by the Steelers.
After going 7 of 8 on third down in the first half, the Texans couldn’t move the chains on their first three tries after intermission. Stroud made perhaps his biggest pass of the game when, needing 15 yards on third down, he hooked up with Kirk for 46 on the final play of the third quarter.
Ka’imi Fairbairn kicked a 51-yard field goal to put the Steelers in a 10-6 hole with 13:07 remaining. The Texans finished 10 of 15 on third down compared to 2 of 14 for the Steelers.
Momentum turned against the Steelers again when Rodgers was sacked on third down, losing the ball in the process. Will Anderson forced the fumble, and defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins picked it up and ran 33 yards for the touchdown and a 17-6 lead with 11:23 left.
To that point, the Steelers had 130 yards of total offense. They also punted on their next possession, and the Texans padded their lead when Marks rushed for a 13-yard touchdown with 3:38 remaining. Bullock’s interception return put the finishing touches on the Texans’ victory.
“The score isn’t indicative of how we fought,” defensive captain Cameron Heyward said. “I’m appreciative of every man in this locker room. We came up short, but I’m thankful for every man in here.”
The Steelers claimed the AFC North title for the first time since 2020 and won 10 games for the third year in a row. Those positives, though, are outweighed by another first-round playoff exit.
“I’m honored to be part of this group,” Highsmith said. “It (stinks) that it comes to a screeching halt.”