Welp. So much for Aaron Rodgers leading Pittsburgh back to the promised land. The Texans absolutely demolished the Steelers 30-6 Monday night in what can only be described as a defensive clinic that left Steelers fans drowning their sorrows and anyone who took Pittsburgh wondering what the hell they were thinking.

The Quick Hit

• What happened: Houston's D scored two TDs and held Rodgers to 146 yards in a beatdown for the ages
• The damage: Texans covered as 2.5-point dogs, winning by 24 and cashing ML bets at +125
• Why you should care: Steelers have now lost SEVEN straight playoff games—Tomlin ties Marvin Lewis' NFL record
• The move: Houston +2.5 at New England next week—this defense is legit scary

A Defensive Masterpiece

Let's talk about that Texans defense. They entered the playoffs ranked first in the NFL, and Monday night they showed exactly why. Sheldon Rankins returned a Rodgers fumble 33 yards for a touchdown early in the fourth to blow the game wide open. Then Calen Bullock added a 50-yard pick-six with under a minute to play because why not pile on?

Houston held Pittsburgh to just 175 total yards. One hundred seventy-five. Against a team that made the playoffs. Four sacks on Rodgers. Complete domination.

This marks Houston's first road playoff win in franchise history, extending their win streak to 10 games. Remember when they were 3-5 after Week 9? This run has been absolutely wild, rivaling the Bears' fourth-quarter comeback magic we saw Saturday.

The Rodgers Question

Aaron Rodgers threw for 146 yards in what might be the final game of his 21-year NFL career. His one-year, $13.65 million deal expires this offseason, making the 42-year-old a free agent. When asked about his future postgame, Rodgers was predictably cryptic: "I'm not going to make any emotional decisions."

Translation: He's probably done, but he wants to milk the media attention for a few more weeks.

The Pittsburgh experiment wasn't a total disaster—Rodgers threw for 3,322 yards with 24 touchdowns and 7 interceptions in the regular season. That's legitimately better than anyone the Steelers have had since Big Ben retired. But in the only game that mattered? Dude looked cooked.

Tomlin's Record-Tying Futility

Here's a stat that should make every Steelers fan want to throw their Terrible Towel into a fire: Mike Tomlin has now lost seven consecutive playoff games. That ties Marvin Lewis for the longest playoff losing streak by an NFL head coach. Ever.

The Steelers haven't won a playoff game since beating the Chiefs in 2016-17. That's nearly a decade of postseason misery for a franchise that prides itself on winning. The organization hasn't fired a head coach since 1968, and ESPN's Adam Schefter says that's not changing. But at some point, winning a playoff game has to matter, right?

As we saw with the Patriots dismantling the Chargers 16-3, defense wins in January. Pittsburgh's defense couldn't stop anything when it mattered.

What's Next

Houston heads to New England for the Divisional Round, opening as 2.5-point underdogs. Given that the Texans have won 10 straight and the Patriots just held Justin Herbert to 3 points, this AFC matchup could be a defensive slugfest. The total will likely be in the low 40s.

As for Pittsburgh? It's time for some hard conversations about whether running it back with a 42-year-old quarterback makes any sense. Spoiler: it probably doesn't.

The Bottom Line

The Texans are legitimate contenders with a defense that can suffocate anyone. Pittsburgh's playoff drought continues into its ninth year under Tomlin. If you had Houston on the moneyline at +125, congrats—you saw what the sharps saw. This defense travels, and they're not done yet.