The last time the Pittsburgh Steelers hosted the Houston Texans, things went very poorly on the North Shore for the Black and Gold.
That matchup came in the AFC Wild Card round, and the Texans trounced the Steelers 30-6, ending the Mike Tomlin tenure in ugly fashion.
Now though, with Mike McCarthy as head coach, the NFL is running it back with Steelers-Texans inside Acrisure Stadium in primetime. The Week 13 matchup will be held on Sunday Night Football December 6, and ranks as one of the top primetime matchups of the season, according to NFL.com.
That Steelers-Texans Week 13 matchup landed at No. 7 in the rankings from NFL.com analyst Jeremy Bergman.
“Houston did its best to end Aaron Rodgers’ career in the Wild Card Round in January. Will the Texans punish him for putting off retirement this December?” Bergman writes of the Steelers-Texans matchup. “Assuming the four-time MVP returns to the Steelers — the league is clearly anticipating as much, scheduling Pittsburgh for four prime-time tilts in 2026 — Rodgers will be more than halfway through his 22nd NFL season by the time Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter come tearing around his tackles in Week 13.”
In that loss to the Texans, Rodgers looked every bit of 42 years old. There wasn’t much of anything he could do in the loss to the Texans, who had him under siege all game long.
Yes, a DK Metcalf drop in the first quarter changed the game, taking momentum away from the Steelers early on, but the Houston pass rush was always going to heat up. Eventually, it took over.
Rodgers’ final pass of the 2025 season was a pick-6 to Houston safety Calen Bullock, which came just two series after Rodgers was strip-sacked for a touchdown. Rodgers looked great in Week 18 against the Baltimore Ravens and led the Steelers to the comeback win to punch their ticket to the postseason with AFC North division crown.
But they stood no shot against Houston.
Now, McCarthy is head coach, the offensive line added some young pieces and key offensive upgrades were made in the offseason. They’ll get another crack at Houston at home under the lights.
“How will Rodgers’ and Mike McCarthy’s remade Steelers respond to that humiliating defeat come Week 13?” Bergman writes. “A bolstered receiving corps (Michael Pittman Jr., second-round pick Germie Bernard) and offensive line (rookies Max Iheanachor, Gennings Dunker) should help matters some, but it may not be enough to rewrite Rodgers’ ending.”
The upgrades were important for the Steelers. How much of an impact they’ll have against arguably the best defense in football remains to be seen. After all, if Rodgers returns Pittsburgh has a 42-year-old quarterback that will still want to get rid of the football quickly and will be playing behind a young offensive line.
Oh, and that matchup will come just four days after Rodgers’ 43rd birthday. Could be a tough one for the Steelers — and Rodgers — once again.
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