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NFL Playoffs: MNF | Texans at Steelers

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Houston Texans (12-5) at Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7)
Monday, 8:15 p.m. ET
FanDuel odds: Texans -3, Total 38.5
Series Rewind: Houston pounded Pittsburgh 30-6 in 2023 to end a three-game skid in the series. That was C.J. Stroud’s rookie season and he shined by passing for 306 yards and two TDs. This is their first postseason meeting.

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The Steelers haven’t won a playoff game in nine years and now the NFL’s best defense stands in the way and threatens to impose another unhappy ending. Aaron Rodgers (11-10 as a postseason starter) will be asked to solve the defensive unit of the Texans and end the dubious streak that has seen Pittsburgh drop six consecutive playoff games since defeating the Kansas City Chiefs in the divisional round on Jan. 15, 2017. Rodgers had 3,322 yards and 24 touchdowns against seven interceptions in 16 games. He hasn’t been picked in his last seven outings. Protecting the ball is key against Houston, which ranks second in the NFL with a plus-17 takeaway margin. The Texans allowed a league-low 277.2 yards per game and ranked second in points allowed at 17.4 per game. Danielle Hunter finished third in the NFL with 15 sacks and Will Anderson Jr. tied for eighth with 12. Stroud is playing in the playoffs for the third straight season and has a 2-2 postseason mark. During the regular season, he passed for 3,041 yards and 19 touchdowns against eight interceptions despite missing three games due to a concussion. The Steelers get DK Metcalf (team-best 850 receiving yards, six TDs) back from a two-game suspension. Also, star linebacker T.J. Watt should feel a bit more spry in his second game since lung surgery.

–Field Level Media

NFL Monday Night Football: Preview

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MIAMI GARDENS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Pittsburgh Steelers and visiting Miami Dolphins each are working to improve their chances of making the playoffs as they prepare to clash on Monday night. The Dolphins (6-7) are riding a four-game winning streak and need to extend that run to keep their slim playoff hopes intact.

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The Steelers (7-6) hold first place in the AFC North and are ahead of the Ravens by a half-game after ending a two-game losing skid with a 27-22 win at Baltimore last week. Pittsburgh also faces pressure to keep winning since its best route to the postseason is to win the division.

ODDS AND TRENDS
Pittsburgh is a consensus 3.0-point favorite, essentially due to being at home where the game-time temperature is expected to be in the teens. The Steelers have been backed by 62% of the spread-line money at BetRivers, where Pittsburgh’s -180 moneyline to win the game outright has drawn 83% of the money.

The 42.0 total points line has seen the Over backed by 67% of the total bets while the Under has drawn 76% of the money. Each of the Steelers’ past eight home games against AFC teams have gone Under the total points line, according to the book.

KEY STAT
Pittsburgh has won 22 of its past 23 Monday night home games.

PLAYER PROPS
–Dolphins RB De’Von Achane 80+ Rushing Yards (-128 at DraftKings): Achane will play after leaving last week’s win over the Jets with a rib injury. He had already rushed for 92 yards in a game Miami controlled easily, and Achane enters with 1,126 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on the ground this season. This has been the most popular player prop at the book, perhaps in part due to the Steelers’ defense being charged with an NFL-high 65 broken tackles this season. A higher potential payout is available with Achane at +124 to rush for at least 90 yards, which he has done in four consecutive games.

–Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers Under 0.5 INTs (-129 at BetRivers): Rodgers has not thrown an interception in his past six home games and was not picked off in his past three games overall. Pittsburgh figures to have a run-heavy approach in frigid conditions and when Rodgers does go to the air, he will be attacking a Miami defense that has produced just seven interceptions this season.

INSIDE EDGE
Rodgers has completed just 57.4% of his passes thrown over the middle of the field this season, the fifth-worst mark among qualified quarterbacks, according to Inside Edge’s Remarkable engine. By comparison, he completed 70.7% of such passes last season.

INJURY REPORT
Steelers star linebacker T.J. Watt is out after undergoing surgery for a collapsed lung sustained at the team practice facility last Wednesday.

Pittsburgh has multiple players either dealing with injuries or in concussion protocol. Offensive lineman Andrus Peat (concussion) and cornerback James Pierre (calf) will not play Monday. Running back Jaylen Warren was a late addition to the injury report on Monday morning and, like defensive lineman Derrick Harmon (knee), is considered questionable. Wide receivers DK Metcalf (rest) and Ben Skowronek (hand), as well as tight end Darnell Washington (concussion), were limited in practice Saturday.

Dolphins cornerback Elijah Campbell (ankle/knee) was listed as doubtful to face Pittsburgh. Offensive lineman Andrew Meyer (tricep), the only other limited participant in Saturday’s practice, was questionable.

THEY SAID IT
–“The good news is that how he makes a living is avoiding tacklers. And that’s what he’ll have to do. The bumps and bruises in the National Football League — if you don’t have something in December, you’re probably playing football wrong.” –Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel on Achane’s rib injury.

PREDICTION
The Dolphins have picked themselves up off the mat this season, but quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is 0-5 all-time in games where the temperature is below 40 degrees at kickoff. Miami’s 27th-ranked run defense, which allows an average of 131.9 yards per game on the ground, will see a heavy dose of Warren and Kenneth Gainwell as Pittsburgh plays the field position game while capitalizing on a few Tagovailoa mistakes. –Steelers 23, Dolphins 20

–Field Level Media

NFL Sunday Night Football Preview

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Pittsburgh Steelers (5-3) at Los Angeles Chargers (6-3)

Sunday, 8:20 p.m. ET

FanDuel odds: Chargers -2.5, Total 44.5

Series Rewind: The Steelers won 20-10 last season for their 11th win in the past 15 meetings, including the postseason.

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Aaron Rodgers wasn’t the least bit unnerved when Tuesday’s trading deadline came and went without the AFC North-leading Steelers adding a receiver. Now comes prove it time for the four-time NFL MVP with 520 career touchdown passes. The Steelers rank 21st in passing offense at 200.9 yards per game despite having the future Hall of Famer at the controls. Rodgers’ season high for passing yardage is just 249 and his season output of 1,692 yards is less than erratic Tennessee Titans rookie Cam Ward (1,760). Offseason acquisition DK Metcalf leads the team with a modest 29 receptions, 467 yards and five scoring catches. The Pittsburgh defense helped a bunch in last weekend’s taming of the Indianapolis Colts by recording five sacks and forcing five turnovers. The Steelers caused a sixth turnover on special teams. The Chargers look to attack that defense with Justin Herbert, who ranks second in the NFL with 2,390 yards. Ladd McConkey (524) and Keenan Allen (520) are both having solid seasons. The offensive line is beat up and that caused a deadline-beating trade for Trevor Penning from the New Orleans Saints. Penning worked out at both tackle spots on his first day in town. Joe Alt (ankle) joined fellow star tackle Rashawn Slater (knee) on injured reserve. Linebacker Tuli Tuipulotu (team-high 7.5 sacks) would like to cause issues for Rodgers.

Patriots Turn It Over vs Steelers

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FOXBORO – (Wire Service Report) – Aaron Rodgers tossed a 17-yard touchdown pass to Calvin Austin on a third-and-6 play with 2:16 remaining in the game to help the visiting Pittsburgh Steelers defeat the New England Patriots 21-14 Sunday.

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New England moved the ball to the Pittsburgh 28-yard line on its final possession before turning the ball over on downs.

The Patriots (1-2) committed five turnovers in the loss, including two fumbles by running back Rhamondre Stevenson. Running back Antonio Gibson and quarterback Drake Maye each lost a fumble, and Maye was intercepted once. Stevenson fumbled seven times last season, which was the most among NFL running backs.

“We don’t need to lose a football game to know that turnovers are very hard to overcome,” said Patriots coach Mike Vrabel. “They erase all the good things that you do. They take away momentum. They take away points, give them field position. We didn’t need to turn it over as many times as we did to learn a lesson. I think we knew that before. So, it was very unfortunate.”

Tight end Hunter Henry caught two TD passes for New England, which had a 369-203 edge in total yards.

The Steelers (2-1) took a 14-0 lead by scoring on each of their first two possessions. The first TD was set up by a Stevenson fumble that gave Pittsburgh the ball on its own 46-yard line. The Steelers capitalized when Kenneth Gainwell scored on a 1-yard run with 8:25 remaining in the first quarter.

“There’s a lot to clean up,” said Vrabel.  “A lot of good in there, but unfortunately just not enough to get us the win, to get us to really have any sort of advantage in the football game. Every time I felt like we were going to take the momentum and be able to score and move forward in the game, and the defense did a great job there. Unfortunately, it got to be one too many opportunities on their part.”

It was 14-0 after DK Metcalf caught a 12-yard TD pass from Rodgers and Chris Boswell made the PAT with 13:49 left in the second quarter. The play moved Rodgers into fourth place in career NFL TD passes with 509. He trails Tom Brady (649), Drew Brees (571) and Peyton Manning (539).

The Patriots scored on a 5-yard pass from Maye to Henry with 9:01 left in the first half. New England had a chance to tie the game later in the half, but Cam Heyward tipped a Maye pass that was intercepted by Bradin Echols in the end zone with seven seconds remaining in the second quarter.

New England tied the game when Henry hauled in a 16-yard TD pass on a fourth-and-two play with 14:56 left in the fourth quarter. The Andres Borregales PAT made it 14-14.

Pittsburgh scored the go-ahead TD after Maye fumbled and the Steelers recovered on their own 33.

The Steelers got two sacks from T.J. Watt.

–Field Level Media

 

Henry, Jackson Lead Ravens

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BALTIMORE – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Baltimore RB Derrick Henry rushed for 186 yards and two scores and teammate Lamar Jackson passed for two touchdowns to lead the host Ravens to a 28-14 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in an AFC wild-card game on Saturday night.

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Jackson completed 16 of 21 passes for 175 yards and rushed for 82 yards on 15 carries while winning for the third time in seven attempts as a postseason starter. Rashod Bateman and Justice Hill had touchdown receptions for third-seeded Baltimore, which has won five straight games and will learn its next opponent on Sunday.

Henry, who carried 26 times, rushed for more than 150 yards for the fourth time in eight career playoff appearances. His postseason high of 195 came against the Ravens in the 2019 season divisional round when he was a member of the Tennessee Titans.

Russell Wilson was 20 of 29 for 270 yards and two touchdowns for sixth-seeded Pittsburgh, which trailed by 21 points twice while losing its fifth consecutive game. George Pickens had five catches for 87 yards and a touchdown and Van Jefferson also had a scoring reception for the Steelers.

The Ravens totaled 299 rushing yards and outgained Pittsburgh 464-280. Baltimore also had a 29-11 advantage in first downs.

The Steelers had just 29 yards on the ground with a long gain of five.

Baltimore receiver Zay Flowers (knee) missed the game.

The Ravens led 21-0 at halftime after dominating the first 30 minutes and putting together touchdown drives of 95, 85 and 90 yards.

Baltimore outgained the Steelers 308-59 and had a 19-2 edge in first downs in the half.

The Ravens took the lead on Jackson’s 15-yard touchdown pass to Bateman with 4:45 left in the first quarter. Henry’s 8-yard scoring run made it 14-0 with 4:09 left in the first half.

Jackson later scrambled out of trouble and hit Hill on a 5-yard scoring pass with two seconds remaining.

Pittsburgh suddenly displayed life in the third quarter as Wilson connected with Jefferson on a 30-yard scoring pass to cap a 98-yard drive with 8:05 left in the period. But Henry broke loose on the fourth play of Baltimore’s next drive and galloped 44 yards for a touchdown to make it 28-7 with 5:49 left.

The Steelers scored again five plays later as Wilson tossed a 36-yard touchdown pass to Pickens with 3:24 left in the third, but that would be the end of the scoring for the night.

–Field Level Media

NFL: Bengals Stay Alive

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PITTSBURGH – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Cincinnati QB Joe Burrow passed for 277 yards and one touchdown and the Cincinnati Bengals remained alive in the AFC playoff race by notching a 19-17 victory over the host Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday night.

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Ja’Marr Chase had 10 receptions for 96 yards and one touchdown and Cade York kicked four field goals as Cincinnati (9-8) won its fifth consecutive contest. The Bengals need the Denver Broncos and Miami Dolphins to lose their respective games on Sunday to nab a playoff berth.

Russell Wilson was 17-of-31 passing for 148 yards and one touchdown for Pittsburgh (10-7), which had just 193 total yards while losing its fourth straight game. The Steelers were eliminated from the AFC North race earlier Saturday when Baltimore defeated Cleveland.

Najee Harris rushed for a touchdown and Pat Freiermuth had eight receptions for 85 yards and a touchdown for Pittsburgh, which will either be the No. 5 or No. 6 seed in the playoffs.

Chase is on his way to becoming the fifth player since 1970 to win the receiving Triple Crown. He finishes the regular season with 127 receptions, 1,708 yards and 17 touchdown catches.

Trey Hendrickson had 3.5 sacks for the Bengals to raise his season output to an NFL-high 17.5.

The Steelers had just 91 offensive yards through three quarters but came alive in the fourth with a nine-play, 65-yard drive. Wilson capped it with a 19-yard touchdown pass to Freiermuth to bring Pittsburgh within 19-14 with 8:07 left.

The hosts later received a break when a punt hit the foot of Cincinnati’s DJ Ivey and was recovered by Connor Heyward at the Bengals’ 38-yard line. But Pittsburgh settled for Chris Boswell’s 54-yard field goal to move within two with 2:39 remaining.

The Steelers got the ball back with 1:51 left, but Wilson’s pass on fourth down from the Pittsburgh 40-yard line went off the hands of Freiermuth.

Burrow was 37-of-46 passing with an interception. He completed his first 12 throws, including all six on Cincinnati’s first drive, ending it with a 12-yard touchdown pass to Chase.

York booted a 48-yard field goal to make it 10-0 with 1:24 left in the first quarter. The Steelers got on the board when Harris scored from the 1-yard line with 9:54 left in the second.

York kicked a 27-yarder with 16 seconds left as Cincinnati held a 13-7 halftime lead. He hit from 35 yards with 6:56 remaining in the third quarter and made a 23-yarder with 11:02 left in the game to make it 19-7.

–Field Level Media

Chiefs Lock AFC No. 1 Seed

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PITTSBURGH – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes passed for 320 yards and three touchdowns and the Chiefs clinched home field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs with a 29-10 victory over the host Pittsburgh Steelers on Wednesday.

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KC’s Travis Kelce became the third tight end in NFL history to reach 1,000 career receptions and also took over the franchise lead with his 77th career touchdown catch. Xavier Worthy and Justin Watson also caught scoring passes and Kareem Hunt rushed for a touchdown for the Chiefs (15-1) during the Christmas Day affair.

Pittsburgh’s Russell Wilson completed 23 of 37 passes for 205 yards and one interception as Pittsburgh (10-6) failed to clinch the AFC North for the second straight game. The Steelers have lost three consecutive games.

Mahomes was 29-of-38 passing while helping the Chiefs win their sixth straight game. Kansas City also set a franchise record with its 15th victory.

Kelce had eight catches for 84 yards to raise his career receptions total to 1,004. Pro Football Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez (1,325) and Jason Witten (1,228) are the only two tight ends with more catches.

Ironically, it was Gonzalez’s franchise record for receiving scores that Kelce broke. He celebrated by doing Gonzalez’s signature dunking of the football through the uprights. Gonzalez was a college basketball player in addition to being a star football player.

The Chiefs racked up five sacks and thrived defensively without star tackle Chris Jones (calf).

Kansas City led by six at halftime and increased the lead to 16-7 on Harrison Butker’s 32-yard field goal with 12:21 left in the third quarter.

The Steelers responded with Chris Boswell’s 36-yard field goal to move back within six with 5:45 left in the quarter.

Kelce’s 1,000th grab was a 19-yard gain late in the third quarter and helped set up Hunt’s 2-yard touchdown run to start the fourth quarter. The two-point conversion pass failed and the Chiefs settled for a 22-10 advantage.

On the next possession, Kelce caught a 12-yard scoring pass with 12:38 remaining in the game to increase the margin to 19.

Mahomes threw two first-half touchdown passes as Kansas City held a 13-7 halftime lead.

On the first one, Worthy lined up in the backfield and flared into the left flat to catch a 7-yard scoring pass. His celebration drew a 15-yard penalty, and Butker’s ensuing 48-yard extra point was wide right.

Later, Mahomes tossed a 11-yard touchdown pass to Watson with four minutes left in the opening quarter. Mahomes also teamed up with Watson on a 49-yard play earlier in the drive.

The Steelers got on the board with 10:28 left in the half when Wilson scored from the 1 by barely getting the ball across the goal line at the left pylon.

–Field Level Media

NFL Saturday 2023

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CINCINNATI – The first NFL Saturday schedule of 2023 starts with the Cincinnati Bengals hosting the Minnesota Vikings (1:00pm EST), but the two nightcaps promise to be playoff-deciding football, especially for the four participating teams, all (7-6) on the season or better.

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Pittsburgh Steelers (7-6) at Indianapolis Colts (7-6): A wildcard intersection might become a postseason off-ramp for the loser of this game depending on how dominoes fall Sunday. The Colts lost for the first time since the end of October last week at Cincinnati and cracks are starting to appear in the run defense. Indianapolis has been hit for at least 125 rushing yards in six of the past seven games. Pittsburgh, what with a backup quarterback and milquetoast offense, is primed to deploy a ground-and-pound approach using a conservative running game to back the Steelers’ stout defense. Indianapolis won’t have top back Jonathan Taylor (thumb) again, but the combination of Gardner Minshew and WR Michael Pittman Jr. has been filthy. Pittman has at least eight receptions in six consecutive games.

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Denver Broncos (7-6) at Detroit Lions (9-4): Sean Payton brought the Broncos back from the brink of self-combustion by lending a stronger voice to defensive coordinator Vance Joseph. Denver has a string of eight consecutive games holding opponents to 22 or fewer points with 18 takeaways in the past seven games and 15 sacks in the past three. Lions coach Dan Campbell sees the dashboard warning lights, but believes the easy fix to most of what ails Detroit is the turnover battle. The return of safety CJ Gardner-Johnson should spark the secondary, but more consistent play from QB Jared Goff has been the focus for Campbell and offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. Goff threw two picks and was sacked four times in the Lions’ loss at Chicago last week.

Zappe Leads Patriots Over Pitt

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PITTSBURGH – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Bailey Zappe threw for three touchdowns and the New England Patriots held off a fourth-quarter rally by the host Pittsburgh Steelers to earn a 21-18 victory on Thursday night.

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Trailing 21-10, Pittsburgh (7-6) blocked Bryce Baringer’s punt and took over at the Patriots’ 26-yard line with 13:23 left in the game.

Two plays after a defensive pass interference penalty moved the ball to the New England 1, Steelers quarterback Mitchell Trubisky plunged into the end zone. He then found Pat Freiermuth on the ensuing two-point conversion, trimming the Patriots’ lead to 21-18 with 11:44 to go.

The Steelers ended up getting three more possessions, with their penultimate drive beginning with 2:44 remaining. They worked up to their own 49 but failed to convert a fourth-and-2, and New England (3-10) ran down the clock, giving the ball back to the hosts with just 15 seconds left.

A pair of deep passes got Pittsburgh into New England territory, but the second completion came as the clock hit zeros.

Zappe completed 19 of 28 passes for 240 yards and was picked off once. Ezekiel Elliott totaled 140 yards from scrimmage (68 rushing, 72 receiving) for the Patriots, who snapped a five-game skid.

New England’s JuJu Smith-Schuster hauled in four catches for 90 yards against his former team, while Hunter Henry caught a pair of touchdown passes.

Trubisky logged 190 yards, one TD and one interception on 22-of-35 passing. Najee Harris was held to 29 yards on 12 carries as Pittsburgh lost for the third time in the past four games.

After losing 6-0 to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, New England scored just 3:48 into the Thursday game when Zappe found Elliott for an 11-yard touchdown.

Chris Boswell capped the Steelers’ ensuing drive with a 56-yard field goal to make it 7-3.

Jabrill Peppers picked off Trubisky to open the second quarter, and two plays later, Zappe found Henry in the end zone for an 8-yard TD to put the Patriots up 14-3 with 14:14 left in the first half.

Zappe then connected with Henry for another score — this time from 24 yards out — to give New England an 18-point cushion with 7:38 remaining until the break.

Trubisky threw a 25-yard scoring strike to Diontae Johnson around five minutes later to pull Pittsburgh within 21-10 entering halftime.

–Field Level Media

NFL Thursday Preview: Patriots Visit Pittsburgh

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PITTSBURGH – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Rarely have the Pittsburgh Steelers found themselves sporting a more impressive offense than their opponent this season, but that very well could be the case on Thursday night when they face the visiting New England Patriots.

New England (2-10) has displayed an anemic offense over its past three games, scoring a total of 13 points. It was shut out for the second time this season in a 6-0 home loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.

Prior to that, the Patriots lost 10-7 to the New York Giants on Nov. 26 after falling 10-6 to the Indianapolis Colts on Nov. 12.

According to ESPN Stats & Info, New England is the first team in 85 years to allow no more than 10 points in three straight games while dropping all three.

Bailey Zappe was hoping to help the Patriots turn things around when he made his third career start on Sunday, but he ended up completing just 13 of 25 passes for 141 yards. Zappe was starting in place of Mac Jones, who was benched after throwing for 10 touchdowns and 12 interceptions through the first 11 games.

While New England appears to already have enough on its plate, here come the Steelers (7-5) on a short week.

“It’s about rest, recovery, being physically ready to go and mentally. It’s a quick turnaround from (Sunday’s) game to Pittsburgh’s scouting report,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. “You know, a couple days of trying to get things covered. We’re pretty far into the season, I don’t think there is a lot of new things. It’s more about adapting to what we do against what they do.”

One of those adaptations New England will have to make is game planning for Mitch Trubisky, who will be taking over behind center for Kenny Pickett.

Pickett sustained an ankle injury during a 24-10 loss to the Cardinals on Sunday and underwent surgery on Monday. Trubisky threw for 117 yards and a TD on 11-for-17 passing against Arizona, but he knows facing the Patriots will be a challenge.

“They’re always very sound,” Trubisky said of the Steelers’ longtime AFC rivals. “I think their guys up front don’t get a lot of credit, but they’re very good players. … Always well coached. They do a good job of mixing it up trying to confuse the quarterback with different looks.

“We’ve got a lot of respect for them. It’s gonna be a good challenge for us on Thursday.”

Trubisky will try to provide a spark for a Pittsburgh team averaging the fifth-fewest points per game in the NFL (16.0). New England ranks dead last with 12.3 points per game.

In what is already expected to be a low-scoring matchup, both sides could be without some of their top playmakers, too.

ESPN reported Tuesday that Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson will be out for a few weeks due to a high ankle sprain. He has not practiced this week.

Demario Douglas (concussion) has yet to practice for the Patriots this week as well, while fellow receivers DeVante Parker (knee) and JuJu Smith-Schuster (ankle) were among those limited, along with running back Ezekiel Elliott (thigh).

Running back Najee Harris did not participate in the Steelers’ practice on Tuesday because of a knee injury. Cornerback James Pierre (shoulder) was also out. Star safety Minkah Fitzpatrick (broken hand) practiced in full.

–Field Level Media