The Pittsburgh Steelers’ season ended Monday night with a 30-6 loss to the Houston Texans in a wild-card round game at Acrisure Stadium.

Here’s a look at three plays that changed the game.

DK’s drop

DK Metcalf did “everything perfectly except make the catch,” said “Monday Night Football” analyst Troy Aikman.

Metcalf’s route hinted that he was running a slant, a fake that got All-Pro cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. to bite on the second-and-10 pass from the Steelers 44. The move gave Metcalf a step on Stingley as he turned his route toward the sideline, but the Steelers wideout couldn’t make the catch on an accurately thrown pass.

The drop cost the Steelers close to 25 yards, but it also seemed to drain any momentum. After a 5-yard pass to Marquez Valdes-Scantling on third down, the Steelers punted.

“I don’t feel like we ever got the momentum on our side, honestly,” Rodgers said. “We had a lot of chances.”

Metcalf, targeted five times, finished with two catches for 42 yards in his first game back from suspension.

First TD wins

A 6-yard touchdown pass from C.J. Stroud to Christian Kirk in the second quarter ultimately was the game winner. Against an opponent that made just two field goals all night, one touchdown was enough.

Kirk’s catch finished off a 14-play, 92-yard scoring drive.

The Texans used play action to get Kirk into the end zone. Lined up in the left slot, Kirk ran behind the line of scrimmage after the snap as Stroud faked a pitch to the left. Steelers cornerback Brandin Echols chased Kirk across the field but was unable to make a goal line tackle to keep him out of the end zone.

The Texans led 7-3 with 8:28 left in the half. Kirk had eight receptions for 144 yards.

“C.J. stepped up and made some big plays. He found Kirk a couple times for some explosive plays for us,” Texas coach DeMeco Ryans said. “For Christian to have the game he had, over eight catches for over 140 yards, that’s great protection, that’s the quarterback stepping up, making great throws.”

The drive also included a 20-yard run by Woody Marks that moved the Texans into the red zone.

Texans strip-sack

The Steelers were clinging to hope early in the fourth quarter, trailing 10-6 with nearly 12 minutes left. But that hope took a hit when Rodgers got hit.

Texans defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins bowled over left guard Isaac Seumalo and defensive end Will Anderson Jr. sprinted around left tackle Dylan Cook on a third-and-12 snap in Pittsburgh territory. Anderson swiped the ball out of Rodgers’ hands, and Rankins returned the fumble 33 yards for a touchdown that extended the Texans’ lead to 11 points with 11:23 remaining.

Rodgers was sacked four times in all, including 1½ sacks by the pass-rush tandem of Anderson and Danielle Hunter.

“At some point they’re going to get a chance when you’re in a lot of one-dimensional passing,” Rodgers said. “I felt like we had slide and chipped to at least one of them throughout most of the game, but they’re both All-Pro caliber players.”

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