In a familiar scenario for Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers, the team faced another early playoff exit. During Monday night”s wild-card game against the Houston Texans, the Steelers were competitive through the first three quarters. However, a pivotal 33-yard fumble return for a touchdown by Sheldon Rankins shifted the momentum, resulting in a 30-6 defeat for Pittsburgh.
“Certainly a disappointing end to our season,” Tomlin stated. “We”ve got to give Houston a lot of credit, particularly their defensive unit. I thought they ruled the day.”
This loss marks the Steelers” seventh consecutive playoff defeat, extending the longest active postseason losing streak in the NFL. Tomlin is now tied with Marvin Lewis of the Bengals for the most playoff losses by a head coach in league history. The last time Pittsburgh won a playoff game was in the 2016 divisional round against Kansas City. Questions regarding Tomlin”s future with the team as he approaches a potential 20th season remain unanswered, as he chose not to discuss them post-game. “I”m not in the big-picture perspective,” he remarked. “I”m just not in that mindset. You pour everything that you have into these performances and what goes on tonight.”
In a historic turn, the Steelers lost a Monday night home game for the first time since October 14, 1991, against the New York Giants, ending a streak of 23 consecutive home victories in such games. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers managed only 146 passing yards, while the Steelers” offensive unit was limited to 175 total yards. Houston”s defense proved formidable, with Calen Bullock scoring on a 50-yard interception return, potentially sealing Rodgers” fate in what could be his final game after a 21-year career.
“I”m not going to make any emotional decisions,” Rodgers said regarding his future. “I”m disappointed. It was such a fun year. Obviously, a lot of adversity, but a lot of fun.”
The Steelers” defense initially pressured Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud, forcing him into multiple mistakes, including five fumbles, two of which he lost, along with one interception. Yet, despite these opportunities, Pittsburgh could not find the end zone. The Texans led 10-6 when Will Anderson Jr. sacked Rodgers, leading to Rankins” touchdown return.
“I didn”t feel like we ever got the momentum on our side, honestly,” Rodgers reflected. “We had a lot of chances. The defense played really good in the first half. (Houston) has a good defense. But we had a lot of opportunities.”
Just one week earlier, Rodgers had delivered a season-high 294 passing yards, leading the Steelers to a comeback win over the Baltimore Ravens and securing an eighth AFC North title under Tomlin. However, the atmosphere turned sour as the home crowd booed the team off the field, with chants for Tomlin”s dismissal echoing in the final moments of the game. Veteran defensive lineman Cam Heyward defended Tomlin, stating, “I don”t really care about that noise because they don”t know what (Tomlin) puts into this. They don”t know how he goes out of his way to prepare every man. They don”t know about the countless nights he is in there studying film. Coaches can only do so much. Players have to play better and in those critical moments, they have to step up.”
