Acrisure Stadium (Pittsburgh) — Aaron Rodgers was hoping for a storybook ending to his legendary career. Instead, that book was slammed shut by the No. 1 defense in the NFL.
The Houston Texans battered the 43-year-old Rodgers and almost completely shut down his offense on Monday night, on their way to a 30-6 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in an AFC wild-card game. The Texans, powered by their top-ranked defense, have now won 10 straight games and 11 of their last 12.
Next for Houston, it heads to New England on Sunday for a Divisional Round game.
As for Rodgers, he and the Steelers have some decisions to make to determine whether this really was the end of his storied career.
Here are my takeaways from the game:
1. This Texans defense is legit – and championship-worthy
Don’t dismiss what they did in this wild-card game just because it was against a pretty weak Steelers offense. Everything about the Houston defense in this game showed it’s for real.
The Texans held the Steelers to just 176 yards overall, though the defense was particularly impressive against the pass. Houston’s coverage was tight all game, never allowing wide receiver DK Metcalf, the Steelers’ one true game-breaker, to get loose. And the Texans’ pass rush seemed to get stronger as the game went along. It was fairly consistent but really picked up in the second half.
And, of course, it was responsible for the kill shot with 11:23 left in the game, when a sack from pass rusher Will Anderson caused a Rodgers fumble that defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins scooped up and returned 33 yards for a touchdown and a 17-3 Houston lead. They even piled on late with a second score – a 50-yard interception return for a touchdown by safety Calen Bullock.
Aaron Rodgers’ career may have ended against the elite Texans defense. (Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
As for the run defense, the running lanes simply weren’t there for Pittsburgh at all. It’s probably why the Steelers shied away from even trying, running on only about one quarter of their offensive plays.
The task is going to get much tougher for Houston now that one of the field’s weakest offenses is out of the way. But there’s no reason to think that, after what has really been a stellar season, that the Texans won’t be up to a more difficult task.
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2. The Texans need to run their offense through their ground game
C.J. Stroud was once supposed to be the next great NFL quarterback, capable of leading the Texans to a Super Bowl someday. It sure looks like their offense is at its best when they take the ball out of his hands, though.
Not that the Texans were a particularly strong running team during the regular season (they averaged just 108.9 rushing yards per game, good for 22nd in the league), but they clearly moved the ball best against the Steelers when they ran it. Rookie running back Woody Marks was particularly elusive, rushing for a season-best 112 yards on 19 carries against the Steelers.
Houston used him way more like a workhorse than it did all season long. In fact, on their best drive — a monster, 14-play, 92-yard drive in the first half that ate 7:01 off the clock and resulted in a touchdown — the Texans ran seven times for 55 yards.
That was when Houston was at its best, and it should do a lot more of that. If the Texans back their top-ranked defense with a strong rushing attack, they’ll have found a formula that wins in the playoffs and could carry them a long way this year.
3. What happened to the Stroud we all saw when he was a rookie?
Is it possible that Stroud is just never going to fulfill all the promise he showed as a rookie? It’s almost hard to remember now that two years ago, he threw for 4,108 yards with 23 touchdown passes and just five interceptions and he really did look like a budding superstar.
Now, in his third year, he looks good, but far from great. He had an OK regular season, with decent but not overwhelming numbers. And his stats ended up being generally good against the Steelers, too (21-of-32, 250 yards, one touchdown, one interception).
But he was also a mess at times in this wild-card game. Stroud was rattled too often by the Steelers’ pass rush, fumbling three shotgun snaps, rushing his throws and seemingly stuck in the pocket too often, unable to escape. He even lost two fumbles and threw a terrible interception way down at the Steelers’ 4-yard line.
The Texans have the kind of defense that can win with just decent quarterback play. The expectations for Stroud, though, were once a lot higher than that.
4. It was a fitting ending for the season, but not for Rodgers’ stellar career
If this really was the end for Rodgers, it’s clearly not the way he wanted to go out, throwing for just 146 yards (17-of-33) with no touchdowns and one interception. But against the NFL’s No. 1 defense it almost had to end this way. He got about as much out of his 43-year-old body and carried this team as far as it could possibly go.
The Steelers didn’t do him any favors. Outside of Metcalf, it’s not like they surrounded Rodgers with any elite playmakers — and he needed them given his physical limitations. Pittsburgh also didn’t give him a strong running game either, instead hoping and expecting him to use his mind and what was left of his ability to carry it most of the time.
And Rodgers did, getting them to the playoffs and to the AFC North title. But his lack of mobility and lack of consistent arm strength were hard to overcome when he just didn’t have the players around him.
So, if this is the end, try to forget this game and remember his come-from-behind win over the Ravens in the regular-season finale. That was a much more fitting way for the future Hall of Famer to go out.
4 ½. What’s next?
The fifth-seeded Houston Texans (13-5), who were 3-5 after their first game in November, will now take their 10-game winning streak into New England next Sunday to face the No. 2-seed Patriots (15-3). The Pats, of course, are fresh off a smothering, 16-3 win over the Los Angeles Chargers in the Wild Card Round. Quarterback Drake Maye threw for 268 yards and a touchdown in that game, but it was the defense, which surrendered just 207 yards to the Chargers, that really won it for the Pats.
As for the Steelers, they head into a very uncertain offseason where the futures of head coach Mike Tomlin and Rodgers are at least somewhat up in the air. No one knows for sure whether Rodgers wants to play a 22nd NFL season, or if the Steelers will want him back if he does. And while Tomlin isn’t in danger of being fired after 19 seasons in Pittsburgh, there has been speculation that either he will want to step away, or that he and management will decide it’s time to mutually part ways.
So, it’s possible the Steelers could be rebuilding behind a new coach and quarterback next season. Of course, it’s equally possible that Tomlin and Rodgers will return to run it back one more (last?) time.
Ralph Vacchiano is an NFL Reporter for FOX Sports. He spent six years covering the Giants and Jets for SNY TV in New York, and before that, 16 years covering the Giants and the NFL for the New York Daily News. Follow him on Twitter at @RalphVacchiano.
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