Pittsburgh leads Houston 3-0 after a 32-yard field goal from Chris Boswell with 6 minutes, 2 seconds left in the first quarter. 

The seven-play, 58-yard drive was highlighted by a 25-yard completion from quarterback Aaron Rodgers to wide receiver DK Metcalf to get Pittsburgh into Houston territory.

Houston punted on its first possession of the game, also. The Texans flipped the field with a 36-yard completion on third down from quarterback C.J. Stroud to wide receiver Christian Kirk, but their drive halted at midfield. 

Pittsburgh takes over on its 28-yard line with 8 minutes, 54 seconds left in the first quarter of a scoreless game. 

The Steelers punted on their first possession of the game. Pittsburgh picked up two first downs, but its drive stalled at midfield. 

The Texans will start their first drive of the game from their own 10-yard line with 11 minutes, 57 seconds remaining in the first quarter. 

The Steelers will receive the opening kickoff. So far this postseason, teams that receive the opening kick are 2-3. 

The Texans, who won the opening coin toss, will start with the ball in the second half. 

Before the game started, Norelle Simpson sang the national anthem. 

Running back Kaleb Johnson, wide receiver Roman Wilson, quarterback Will Howard, offensive lineman Jack Driscoll, defensive lineman Logan Lee, outside linebacker Jeremiah Moon and cornerback Tre Flowers are inactive for the Steelers.

Wide receiver Braxton Berrios, quarterback Graham Mertz, offensive lineman Juice Scruggs, running back Jawhar Jordan, linebacker Christian Harris and cornerback Alijah Huzzie are inactive for the Texans.

Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf will return to the field on Monday following a two-game suspension for an altercation with a fan during the team's Week 16 game against the Detroit Lions. Metcalf appealed the suspension, but it was upheld on appeal.

Metcalf, who Pittsburgh acquired in a trade with the Seattle Seahawks, caught 59 passes for 850 yards and six touchdowns in 15 regular-season games. Both marks led the team. 

The Steelers were 1-1 without Metcalf in the lineup. 

"My teammates gave me another opportunity to come back," Metcalf told the media last week. "So just big shout out to them."

The Steelers have won 23 consecutive home "Monday Night Football" games, a streak they will put on the line against the Texans.

The last time the Steelers lost a "Monday Night Football" game was during the 1991 season when they fell 23-20 to the New York Giants at Three Rivers Stadium. 

Pittsburgh extended its streak to 23 games this season with a win over the Miami Dolphins in Week 15. 

Pittsburgh brought in quarterback Aaron Rodgers to help end its playoff win drought, and the 42-year-old quarterback will be front and center for Monday's game against the Texans.

Rodgers hit multiple clutch throws in the fourth quarter of the team's dramatic win over the Ravens in the final game of the regular season, bringing home Pittsburgh's first AFC North title since 2000. 

While Rodgers has connected on key throws this season, the running back duo of Kenny Gainwell and Jaylen Warren has been offensive catalysts. The two combined for 2,314 total yards and 16 touchdowns during the regular season. Gainwell led the team with 73 receptions, while Warren was 42 yards rushing short of reaching 1,000 on the ground. Gainwell was selected as the team's MVP.

While not one of the league's best defenses, Pittsburgh has been opportunistic on that side of the ball. Pittsburgh forced 12 turnovers in the regular season and had 48 sacks. 

Pittsburgh is in the postseason for a third straight season after winning four of its last five games. 

Houston is back in the playoffs after its best defensive season in franchise history. 

The hard-hitting defense is led by stars Will Anderson Jr., Danielle Hunter and Derek Stingley. The Texans held teams to 17.4 points per game, second best in the NFL, and a league-best 277.2 yards per game. The unit also forced 17 turnovers, the second-best mark in the NFL.

The consistency of the defense helped buoy an offense plagued with injuries at key positions. Quarterback C.J. Stroud missed four games due to a concussion, and running back Joe Mixon and wide receiver Tank Dell have not played this season due to injuries. 

However, the Texans had star wide receiver Nico Collins for 15 games in 2025 after injuries limited his 2024 season. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound pass catcher had 71 receptions for 1,117 yards and six touchdowns this season. 

Kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn has also been a weapon for Houston. The 31-year-old made 44 field goals, tying David Akers' 2011 mark for the most field goals made in a season in the history of the NFL. 

Houston, which is 5-3 on the road this season, is in the postseason for a third straight season under coach DeMeco Ryans after finishing second in the AFC South. The Texans started the season 0-3. 

Acrisure Stadium follows the clear bag policy from the NFL, which means that unless bags are 4.5 inches by 6.5 inches or smaller, they must be clear.

According to the stadium's website, fans must bring clear bags that aren't larger than 12 inches by 6 inches by 12 inches.  

The Steelers are 3-point home underdogs against the Texans, according to CBS Sports. Pete Prisco of CBS Sports picked the Steelers to beat the Texans 23-20. The winner will play at the New England Patriots in the next round.  

Pittsburgh is +4500 to win the Super Bowl, the second-longest odds of the 14 teams in the postseason. Houston is +1300, the eighth-best odds. 

The Steelers' game against the Texans in the wild-card round of the NFL playoffs will air live on ESPN and ABC. Kick off is set for 8:15 p.m. ET at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh. 

Joe Buck will provide the play-by-play call of the game, while Troy Aikman will serve as the analyst. Lisa Salters and Laura Rutledge will be the sideline reporters.

The Monday night showdown will be the final game of the wild-card round. 

After the Steelers' dramatic win over the Ravens to end the 2025 regular season, 14 teams qualified for the playoffs: seven in the AFC and seven in the NFC.

The playoffs kicked off on Saturday with two games, with three more on Sunday. Here's how the four other AFC teams fared on wild-card weekend. 

• No. 1 Denver Broncos are on bye
• No. 2 New England Patriots 16, No. 7 Los Angeles Chargers 3
• No. 6 Buffalo Bills 27, No. 3 Jacksonville Jaguars 24