The Houston Texans buried the Pittsburgh Steelers and their 42-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers in a 30-6 Wild-Card Weekend decision on Monday night that was the first postseason road win in the franchise’s history.

The Texans sacked Rodgers four times and hit him 12 times. The Houston defense held Pittsburgh to 175 yards and scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns – a 33-yard return of a fumble by Rodgers by defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins with 11:23 remaining and a 50-yard pick-six by safety Calen Bullock with 2:39 to play.

Former Alabama All-American Will Anderson Jr. had three tackles, shared one sack, registered three quarterback hits and forced one fumble as a Texans defensive end.

Anderson knocked the football out of Rodgers’ hand, putting it on the ground, where Rankins picked it up and ran for a touchdown to give Houston a 17-6 lead.

The Texans offense drove 87 yards for a touchdown on its next possession, and Bullock’s TD capped Houston’s 23-point fourth quarter.

The Houston defense helped turn the game into a runaway after Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud threw an interception and fumbled five times, losing two. Stroud completed 21-of-32 passes for 250 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

Rodgers’ passing-efficiency rating of 50.8 was the eighth-worst of his 279 NFL starts (regular season and postseason) and the worst of his 22 playoff starts. Rodgers completed 17-of-33 passes for 146 yards with no touchdowns and one interception.

In addition to Anderson, seven other players from Alabama high schools and colleges got on the field during the Houston-Pittsburgh game:

  • Jake Andrews (Stanhope Elmore, Troy) started at center for the Texans.
  • Nico Collins (Clay-Chalkville) started at wide receiver for the Texans. Collins had three receptions for 21 yards when he left the game late in the third quarter after his helmet slammed into the turf at Acrisure Stadium.
  • Texans defensive tackle Marlon Davidson (Greenville, Auburn) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
  • Texans wide receiver Tank Dell (Alabama A&M) is on the physically-unable-to-perform list and not eligible to play.
  • Steelers offensive tackle Jack Driscoll (Auburn) was designated as a game-day inactive.
  • Texans linebacker Christian Harris (Alabama) was designated as a game-day inactive.
  • Tytus Howard (Monroe County, Alabama State) started at left guard for the Texans. Howard has started at three offensive-line positions for Houston this season and had closed the regular season at right tackle.
  • Kamari Lassiter (American Christian) started at cornerback for the Texans. Lassiter made six tackles, recorded one tackle for loss and broke up one pass.
  • Steelers linebacker Jeremiah Moon (Hoover) was designated as a game-day inactive. 
  • Texans cornerback Tremon Smith (Saks) made one tackle.
  • Henry To’oTo’o (Alabama) started at linebacker for the Texans. To’oTo’o tied for the team lead with seven tackles and registered one quarterback hit.
  • Steelers punter Corliss Waitman (South Alabama) averaged 45.5 yards on six punts, with a 41.8-yard net average. Waitman had a 40-yard punt to a fair catch a the Houston 10-yard line, a 44-yarder returned 1 yard to the Houston 8, a 43-yarder downed at the Houston 19, a 55-yarder returned 12 yards to the Houston 30, a 56-yarder returned 9 yards to the Houston 23 and a 35-yarder to a fair catch at the Houston 13.
  • Texans safety Jimmie Ward (Davidson) is on reserve/physically unable to perform and not eligible to play.

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After qualifying for the postseason as the AFC’s top wild-card team with a 12-5 regular-season record, Houston won a first-round playoff game for the third season in a row, a first in franchise history. In the Divisional Round, the Texans will play the second-seeded New England Patriots at 2 p.m. CST Sunday at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

Pittsburgh qualified for the playoffs as the AFC North champion with a 10-7 record. The No. 4 seed’s loss broke a 23-game winning streak in Monday night home games.

Houston Texans linebacker Henry To’oTo’o (left) and cornerback Kamari Lassiter tackle Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling during an NFL playoff game on Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh.Houston Texans linebacker Henry To’oTo’o (left) and cornerback Kamari Lassiter tackle Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling during an NFL playoff game on Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh.(AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)