Texans Coach Bracing For ‘Physical’ Matchup With Steelers

Monday’s Wild Card Round showdown between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Houston Texans features a matchup between two defensive-minded head coaches.

A former Pro Bowl linebacker, DeMeco Ryans has transformed the Houston Texans from an offense-first team into a defensive powerhouse. The Texans have arguably the NFL’s best defense this year, giving up the fewest points and second-fewest yards.

Meanwhile, the Steelers have historically had good defenses under Mike Tomlin. That hasn’t been the case this year, but Pittsburgh’s defense has played better lately.

Accordingly, this is expected to be an old-school, low-scoring matchup at Acrisure Stadium. DraftKings has set the Over/Under at 38.5, which is the lowest total of the Wild Card Round by six points.

Ryans sounds ready for it based on this quote he gave on Thursday.

#Texans coach DeMeco Ryans on what it will be like to face the Pittsburgh Steelers: “It’s going to be old school football and it’s going to a physical game.

“If you like football you should be excited about it and I’m ready for it.

— Jonathan M Alexander (@jonmalexander) January 8, 2026

“It’s going to be old-school football and it’s going to be a physical game,” Ryans said. “If you like football, you should be excited about it, and I’m ready for it.”

Both teams are only average offensively, and this contest will likely be close. The spread is only three points, so the game could come down to a field goal, just like the Steelers’ last one.

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