Texans defense overwhelms Steelers in potential Aaron Rodgers finale
By Kevin Dotson, CNN
(CNN) — The Houston Texans defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 30-6 in the final game of the wild card round of the playoffs on Monday in what might be the end of the Aaron Rodgers era in the NFL.
The Texans entered the game as the favorite, even though they were the road team at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh. The game was a defensive slugfest from the opening kickoff, with both teams exchanging punts on their opening possessions.
Pittsburgh was the first team to get on the scoreboard with a first quarter field goal from Chris Boswell. That was about as good as things would get on a long night for the Steelers.
The Texans would take the lead 7-3 in the second quarter on a six-yard touchdown pass from CJ Stroud to Christian Kirk.
The pivotal play in the game came early in the fourth quarter with Houston leading 10-6.
The Texans’ swarming defense got to Steelers quarterback Rodgers for a sack and fumble. Will Anderson Jr. knocked the ball out of Rodgers’ grasp and Sheldon Rankins scooped it up and ran it in 33 yards for a touchdown to put the game out of reach at 17-6.
The game got out of hand after that, as the Texans’ offense tacked on a touchdown and the defense added another score when Rodgers threw an interception that was returned 50 yards for touchdown by safety Calen Bullock.
Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans was teeming with praise for his defense after its stellar night.
“I’m proud of our defensive performance,” Ryans said at his postgame press conference.
“I think this is the best performance we’ve had in our team history, so I’m proud of our guys for that. To limit the points, to take the football away, and not only just take it away but to go score. You get two defensive touchdowns, that’s a big deal, doesn’t happen much.”
End of the line for 4-time MVP Rodgers?
The end of Pittsburgh’s season leaves a rather large elephant in the room. Did NFL fans just watch the final game in the illustrious career of Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who joined the team in June on a one-year contract?
Before the season started, the four-time NFL MVP said he was “pretty sure” that this 21st season of his career would be the last.
“That’s why we just did a one-year deal,” the 42-year-old said on “The Pat McAfee Show” in June. “Steelers didn’t need to put any extra years on that or anything. This was really about finishing with a lot of love and fun and peace for the career that I’ve had.”
Rodgers was mum on his future following the tough loss.
“I’m not going to make any emotional decisions,” Rodgers told reporters after the game. “Disappointed, you know obviously, it was such a fun year. A lot of adversity, but a lot of fun.”
Time will tell if Rodgers sticks to his preseason plan or if this winning run has rekindled the competitive fire for the future hall of famer.
If this goes down as Rodgers’ final game, his last NFL pass will be the pick-six to Bullock.
Mike Tomlin’s future in Pittsburgh in question
Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin tied an undesirable record Monday night with his seventh consecutive playoff defeat. He equaled former Cincinnati Bengals coach Marvin Lewis for the longest postseason losing streak in NFL history.
The recent lack of playoff success has had some Steelers’ pundits and fans wondering if the time has come to move on from Tomlin – the longest-tenured coach in the NFL. Tomlin has led the Steelers since 2007, a 19-year run that featured a Super Bowl win in the 2008 season.
After Monday’s game, Tomlin was asked how he planned to approach any decision about his future.
“I’m not even in that mindset as I sit here tonight,” Tomlin answered. “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.”
If Pittsburgh were to decide to make a coaching move, it’s unlikely that the 53-year-old coach would be without a job for any longer than he wanted to be. Eight teams are currently without a head coach, leaving plenty of vacancies for a proven winner like Tomlin, who has never had a losing season in his head coaching career.
What’s next?
The Texans will next face the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on Sunday in a divisional round matchup that has potential to be a war of attrition.
That will be just one of four games in a weekend featuring a pair of doubleheaders.
On Saturday, the AFC top-seeded Denver Broncos will host the Buffalo Bills and the NFC No. 1 Seattle Seahawks welcome the division rival San Francisco 49ers.
Sunday, the Texans will face the Patriots followed by the Chicago Bears hosting the Los Angeles Rams.
This story has been updated with additional reporting.
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