NFL Wild Card Weekend wraps up tonight with the Steelers hosting the Houston Texans at Acrisure Stadium. Mike Tomlin’s teams have lost six straight playoff games, last winning one on January 15th, 2017 against New England. Offsetting that woeful stat, the Steelers have won 23 straight home games on Monday nights, going all the way back to October of 1991 at Three Rivers Stadium. Tomlin is 11-0 at home, 22-3 overall on Monday Night Football.
Tomlin isn’t concerned about streaks. He’s thinking about a Texans team that forces its opponents to cough up the football.
Texans coach DeMeco Ryans says he’s focused on stopping the Steelers’ run game, especially big play threat Jaylen Warren.
The Texans beat the Steelers, 30-6 the last time they played, in October of 2023. TJ Watt says this year’s Texans are similar to that team, and they can move the ball.
Running back Kenneth Gainwell was a part of last year’s Super Bowl-winning Eagles. He sees a lot of the same togetherness with the Steelers this season as he did in Philadelphia, and he says that’s a great asset.
All of the Steelers’ eligible players were full participants for their last practice on Saturday. The Texans have some injury concerns, but their injured players are all expected to play tonight. Backup quarterback Davis Mills did not accompany the team to Pittsburgh due to a personal issue and his status for tonight is not known.
The winner tonight will play at New England next Sunday. The Patriots beat the Chargers last night, 16-3. Buffalo edged Jacksonville, 27-24 to set up a Divisional Round game against the Denver Broncos on Saturday.
In the NFC, the 49ers took down the defending champion Eagles in Philly, 23-19, but the ‘Niners lost star tight end George Kittle to a torn Achilles tendon. San Francisco will play on Saturday against the Seahawks in Seattle. The Rams will play the Bears in Chicago on Sunday.
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