The Houston Texans (12-5) travel to the Steel City Monday night to close out Wild Card weekend against the Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7).
Winners of the AFC North, the Steelers look to snap a six-game losing streak in the playoffs. The last four of those six losses have come by double-digits, tied for the longest streak in NFL postseason history. Mike Tomlin needs a win Monday night to avoid tying Cincinnati’s Marvin Lewis for the longest losing streak by a head coach in NFL postseason history.
Aaron Rodgers and Pittsburgh won four of their last five games including a 26-24 win in Week 18 against Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens in Week 18. That victory secured the AFC North and the final spot in the playoffs. This will be Rodgers’ first playoff game since a 2021 Divisional loss at Lambeau Field to San Francisco. No doubt he and the Steelers are happy to see WR DK Metcalf back on the field after being suspended the final two weeks of the regular season due to an altercation with a fan. He is a necessity if Rodgers is to substantially add to his 5,894 career playoff yards (fourth all-time) and 45 touchdowns (third all-time).
C.J. Stroud and the Texans also finished the season playing well winning their last nine to make the playoffs despite starting the season with three straight losses. Houston is the seventh team in NFL history to make the playoffs after starting a season 0-3 (2018 Texans, 1998 Bills, ‘95 Lions, ‘92 Chargers, ‘82 Buccaneers and ‘81 Jets). Of the previous six teams to start 0-3, only the 1992 Chargers won a playoff game. The Texans are hoping the old adage that “a good defense travels” holds true in Pittsburgh. Houston finished the regular season second in scoring defense (17.4) and first in total defense (277.2). If DeMeco Ryans’ defense gets it done on the road, C.J. Stroud will join 2012-14 Russell Wilson, 2008-10 Joe Flacco and 1946-48 Otto Graham as the only quarterbacks to win a playoff game in each of their first three years in the league.
Lets take a look at the matchup including a few key stats and trends, the quarterbacks, and those listed on the injury report.
NBC Sports has all the latest info and analysis you need, including how to tune in for kickoff, odds from DraftKings, player news and updates courtesy of Rotoworld, and of course our predictions and best bets for the game from our staff of experts.
Game Details and How to Watch: Texans at Steelers
- Date: Monday, December 15, 2026
- Time: 8:15PM EST
- Site: Acrisure Stadium
- City: Pittsburgh, PA
- Network/Streaming: ESPN
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Game Odds: Texans at Steelers
The latest odds as of Friday courtesy of DraftKings:
- Moneyline: Houston Texans (-155), Pittsburgh Steelers (+130)
- Spread: Texans -3
- Total: 38.5 points
This game opened at Texans -2.5 with the Game Total set at 39.5.
Be sure to check out DraftKings for all the latest game odds & player props for every matchup this week on the NFL schedule!
Quarterback Matchup: Texans at Steelers
Texans Starting QB: C.J. Stroud
Last Game: 1/4 vs. Indianapolis – 14-23, 169yds, 1TD, 0INTs, Sacked 0 times, 2 carries for 5yds rushing
Season: 14GP, 273-423, 3041yds, 19TDs, 8INTs, Sacked 23 times, 48 carries for 209yds rushing- Steelers Starting QB: Aaron Rodgers
Last Game: 1/4 vs. Baltimore – 31-47, 294yds, 1TD, 0INTs, Sacked 2 times, 1 carry for 20yds rushing
Season: 16GP, 327-498, 3322yds, 24TDs, 7INTs, Sacked 29 times, 21 carries for 61yds rushing
Texans at Steelers: Team Stats and Betting Trends
- T.J. Watt enters the playoffs with 115 career regular season sacks, the most by a player without a playoff win
- Houston is 9-8 ATS this season
- Pittsburgh is 9-8 ATS this season
- The OVER has cashed in just 6 of the Texans’ 17 games this season (6-10-1)
- The OVER has cashed in 9 of the Steelers’ 17 games this season (9-7-1)
- The Texans are 4-4 ATS on the road this season
- The Steelers are 5-3 ATS at home this season
- Houston enjoyed a +17 turnover differential during the regular season
- Will Anderson has 20 tackles for loss, 23 quarterback hits, and 12 sacks this season
Texans Player Injuries
- RT Trent Brown (undisclosed) is listed as questionable for Monday’s game
- LB Jamal Hill (undisclosed) is listed as questionable for Monday’s game
- CB Kamari Lassiter (ankle) is listed as questionable for Monday’s game
- RB Jawhar Jordan (ankle) is listed as questionable for Monday’s game
- LG Tytus Howard (ankle) is listed as questionable for Monday’s game
- DE Denico Autry (knee) is listed as questionable for Monday’s game
- DT Sheldon Rankins (elbow) is listed as questionable for Monday’s game
- CB Derek Stingley Jr. (oblique) is listed as questionable for Monday’s game
Steelers Player Injuries
- RB Jaylen Warren (illness) is listed as questionable for Monday’s game
- OT Calvin Anderson (knee) is eligible to be activated from the IR
- DT Isaiahh Loudermilk (ankle) has been designated to return from the IR
Rotoworld Best Bets
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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NFL calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, stadium information and weather forecasts.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Best bets our model is projecting for this week’s game between the Texans and the Steelers
- Moneyline: Rotoworld Bet is leaning towards a play on the Texans on the Moneyline.
- Spread: Rotoworld Bet is recommending a play on the Texans -3.
- Total: Rotoworld Bet is leaning towards a play on the Game Total UNDER 38.5.
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