The Pittsburgh Steelers enter Monday’s Wild Card Round game against the Houston Texans with a lot of baggage. It’s been nine years since the Steelers’ last postseason win, as they’ve lost six straight playoff games.
Most of those games weren’t even close, either. Pittsburgh trailed by at least 21 points in all six losses. That’s the longest such streak in NFL playoff history, as no other team has had a streak longer than three games.
The Steelers are in a good position to end that streak on Monday, however. The game is projected to be close and low-scoring, so the Texans are unlikely to pull away.
Pittsburgh also has home-field advantage for the first time since 2020 and the weather on its side, as dome teams like Houston have historically struggled in cold postseason games. The Steelers haven’t lost at home on a Monday night in nearly 35 years, either.
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While Mike Tomlin has been at the helm for the entirety of his team’s brutal streak, Aaron Rodgers hasn’t. The former Super Bowl champ has tons of playoff experience and is a proven big-game winner.
Pittsburgh also has momentum after closing the regular season with four wins in its final five games. That wasn’t the case last year, at least, when the Steelers entered the postseason on a four-game losing streak before getting clobbered by the Baltimore Ravens.
The Texans only have an average offense, making them unlikely to build a big lead and pull away. Rodgers should at least be able to keep things close, even against one of the best defenses in the NFL.
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