Texans beat Mike Tomlin and the Steelers at their own game and it could mark the end of two historic eras
The Texans defense smothered the Steelers offense and the final result could spark significant change in Pittsburgh.
For a lot of people, watching an elite defense is the most captivating scene they can witness.
It makes sense, too. There’s just something about a squad of 11 nutjobs (respectfully) enforcing its will by smacking opposing offenses around. Sure, points are great, but top-tier defenses are just as fun and can be even more enjoyable when it’s a performance akin to what the Houston Texans did to the Pittsburgh Steelers during Super Wild Card Weekend.
DeMeco Ryans’ and Matt Burke’s crew put on absolute clinic. Not only did they keep Aaron Rodgers and Co. from reaching the end zone, they scored two defensive touchdowns that put the Steelers out of their misery.
“It was an outstanding defensive performance, one of the best that I’ve seen versus a really talented offense, talented quarterback who has played at a high level for a long time,” Ryans told reporters after the game. “I’m proud of our defensive performance. I think this is the best performance we’ve had in our team history, so I’m proud of our guys for that.
“To limit the points, to take the football away, not only just take it away, but to go score. You get two defensive touchdowns, that’s a big deal. [That] doesn’t happen much [and I’m] of our guys.”
The Texans beat Mike Tomlin with his own blueprint
Defense. Takeaways. A dominant run game.
Those components are what Mike Tomlin lives for and the Texans gave him a taste of his own medicine on Monday night.
The whole premise of a Steelers upset was their red hot rushing defense against a Texans team that struggles to run the ball. Pittsburgh was only allowing a league-best 73 yards per game on the ground over its last four contests, and it wanted to be able to pin its ears back and get after Stroud.
Instead, the Steelers were bludgeoned by Woody Marks and Nick Chubb for a combined 160 rushing yards.
Then on defense, Houston plastered the Steelers pass catchers all night, while getting home with four and turning some of the Steelers’ best offensive lineman into turnstiles. That untimely resulted in a scoop and score that finally broke the dam, and an interception returned for a TD that could put a sour note on the end of Aaron Rodgers’ career.
The Steelers built their team on running the ball, forcing turnovers, and stopping the run, but it was the Texans who out-executed them at every level.
“We’ve certainly got to give Houston a lot of credit, in particular their defensive unit,” Tomlin said after the game. “I thought they ruled the day. They certainly had a reputation for that coming in, and they confirmed it with their performance. That’s just how it goes.”
This could be Aaron Rodgers’ and Mike Tomlin’s last game as Steelers
It could also be Rodgers’ last game as an NFL player, in general. If Rodgers retires after this season and Tomlin moves on/is let go, it’ll mark the end of two historic eras in Rodgers’ NFL career and Tomlin’s time in Pittsburgh.
That doesn’t happen very often, but there’s definitely a realistic chance it does. Rodgers has been very open about his remaining time in the NFL and frustrations with Tomlin are at an all-time high after the he led the Steelers to their seventh-straight playoff loss.
Rodgers’ game is very limited these days and Tomlin’s approach continues to fall behind the modern-day NFL with each passing year. While the score was close for most of the contest, it never really seemed like the Steelers were fully in the game. After the first couple of drives, the Texans defense settled in and the offense moved the ball enough to where Pittsburgh’s offense couldn’t find much rhythm.
It’ll be intriguing if the Texans end up becoming the “thud” to the end of both runs and we’ll find out soon enough.
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