Seven years. Seven Wild Card exits. Seven Januarys that ended too soon. The most recent chapter came mid-January when the Houston Texans rolled into Pittsburgh and won 30-6, their first road playoff victory in franchise history. A year earlier, the Steelers lost 28–14 on the road to Baltimore: Different opponent, different venue, but one-and-done again.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers' Aaron Rodgers walks off the field after a brutal loss to the Houston Texans in the Wild Card Round.
The 2025 season felt different heading in. Pittsburgh won the AFC North for the first time since 2020. Aaron Rodgers arrived to fix the quarterback problem. The defense stayed promising with T.J. Watt and Cam Heyward. Expectations actually climbed for once. Then the postseason came and showed that January football is a different beast entirely.
Steelers Nation has watched this movie too many times. So let's break down what actually changed from 2024 to 2025, what went so wrong against Houston, and what needs to be different next year if Pittsburgh wants to stop being a first-round punching bag.
The Texans Game: Same Problems, Bigger Stage
The Steelers started hot. Chris Boswell knocked through a 32-yard field goal after Rodgers hit DK Metcalf for 25 yards on the opening drive. Acrisure Stadium was rocking. Pittsburgh looked ready. Then the offense vanished. The Texans ran for over 200 yards, pounding the ball with rookie Woody Marks and controlling the clock as they owned it.
Rodgers finished with 146 yards on 17-of-33 passing and an interception. Houston scored 23 points in the fourth quarter alone, turning what had been a competitive game into a blowout. Sheldon Rankins scooped up a Rodgers fumble and returned it for a touchdown with 11 minutes left.
Houston entered as a three-point road favorite, which tells you everything about how the market viewed this matchup. The Texans were riding a nine-game win streak. C.J. Stroud had proven himself in the playoffs before. Their defense was elite.
Sharp money pushed the line to Houston minus-3 before kickoff, with the total sitting at 38.5. The books expected a grind, and that's exactly what happened until the fourth quarter blowout. While the 24-point margin exceeded the spread, Houston's dominance wasn't some stunning upset that blew away the whole of online sports betting.
They had crushed opponents by 20-plus points recently. The Steelers' losses to playoff-caliber teams during the season were often double digits. The market knew what the Steelers' ceiling was. The game just confirmed it.
For Pittsburgh, the loss exposed everything that had plagued them all season. The run defense got shredded. The offense never found any rhythm. Metcalf, back from a two-game suspension, caught just two passes for 42 yards. The Steelers went 0-for-6 on third down in the first half and special teams made mistakes at the worst times.
The defeat stretched Mike Tomlin's postseason winless streak to nine years, the longest in franchise history—seven consecutive first-round exits. The questions about what needs to change aren't whispers anymore. They're shouted from every corner of the Steel City.
What Changed from 2024 to 2025
The most significant move was obvious. Kenny Pickett was done after 2023. Russell Wilson and Justin Fields split time in 2024 and solved nothing. Pittsburgh went out and got Aaron Rodgers on a one-year deal, hoping a proven winner could finally stabilize the position.
Rodgers completed 63% of his passes during the regular season with 3,322 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions. Not spectacular, but functional. More importantly, he brought leadership—someone who had been there before and knew how to handle expectations.
The roster improved in other spots, too. DK Metcalf arrived via trade to finally give the Steelers a true number-one receiver. He finished with 850 yards and six touchdowns in 15 games after returning from a two-game suspension. T.J. Watt stayed dominant in the turnover department despite dipping in his usual sack total. The running game got more consistent with Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell splitting carries.
The Steelers won the AFC North for the first time in years. They beat division rivals when it mattered most during the regular season. They handled close games better than the 2024 team that limped into the playoffs on a four-game skid.
But raising expectations made the failures sting more. The 2024 loss to Baltimore felt frustrating but understandable. The Steelers were the sixth seed on the road against a better team. The 2025 home loss as division champions felt like a regression. Progress happened in the regular season. It just fell short when January rolled around.
What Has to Change in 2026?
The offseason priorities are evident if you've watched this team. The offensive line needs depth. The run defense needs reinforcements. The expansive receiver room needs more speed behind Metcalf.
The biggest question looms at quarterback. Will Rodgers return for another year? Does he even want to? If not, does Pittsburgh draft someone in April or swing for another veteran? The quarterback carousel can't keep spinning every offseason. At some point, the Steelers need to find their guy and build around him.
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Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers during 2025 training camp in Latrobe, PA.
The DC change from Teryl Austin to Patrick Graham brings a fresh voice and new schemes. Graham has experience running aggressive defenses. He'll need to figure out how to stop the run better than Austin did. Free agency has to address the defensive line. The Texans ran all over Pittsburgh because they could. That can't happen again.
The goal for 2026 has to be winning a playoff game. Making the postseason means nothing if January always ends the same way. The Steelers are stuck in a loop where regular-season success evaporates under the highest pressure. Breaking that cycle requires more than roster tweaks. It requires executing in moments that this team hasn't shown it can handle.
Final Thoughts
The Steelers have moved beyond the Ben Roethlisberger era, with a more balanced roster and steady quarterback play from Rodgers. The defense remained subpar, and a division title showed regular-season strength. But another Wild Card exit means the ceiling still isn’t high enough. Progress is evident, yet January success remains missing. Steelers fans expect more, and the front office faces significant pressure to deliver real postseason results in 2026.