Houston Texans vs Pittsburgh Steelers Picks and Prediction for Monday January 12 2026

By: Kim Smith Published 01/12/2026, 01:08 AM ET

The NFL Wildcard weekend wraps up with a Monday night game featuring the Houston Texans facing the Pittsburgh Steelers. The game is set to kick off at 8:15 PM EST. The Houston vs Pittsburgh game is being aired on ESPN and can be watched if you can find tickets at Acrisure Stadium. The weather is predicted to be a clear night without wind being a major factor and temperatures set at 34 degrees. Make sure you are ready for all the NFL playoff action with our free NFL picks.

Texans A Wildcard Team

The Houston Texans are coming to this game here with a 12-5 record overall, but are coming to the game here with a better record than the Steelers. The last game on the field for the Texans was a 38-30 win over the Colts. The Houston Texans have been on a tear in their last 5 games posting a 5-0 Mark and even knocked down the Chiefs in that stretch.

C.J. Stroud has managed to lead the Texans offensive charge with 3,041 yards in the air while going 273/423 with a total of 19 touchdowns, but he has been picked off 8 times. Woody Marks managed to lead the Texans in rushing on the regular season with 196 carries for 703 yards on the year. Nico Collins was the leader in the receiving game with 71 records and 6 touchdowns for 1,117 yards. The pass rush seen Danielle Hunter get a total of 15 sacks on the season, but Azeez Al-Shaair ended up leading Houston in tackles with 103.

Steelers Win AFC North But Is It Enough?

The Steelers ended up winning the AFC North, but it may not be enough to secure the playoff win in this game here. The Steelers division this year was a lot weaker than normal and did not look impressive at all at times with a lot of teams struggling in the North. The Steelers are coming off of a 26-24 win over the Baltimore Ravens in what was an impressive division rivalry game. Still, the Steelers finished the year sitting on a 10-7 record on the year.

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Pittsburgh has relied on what many consider the ageless wonder in Aaron Rodgers to lead the passing attack as he went 327/498 for 3,322 yards and 24 touchdowns, but did throw 7 picks. The rushing attack was led by Jaylen Warren who carried the ball 211 times for 958 yards and only 6 scores. DK Metcalf was Rodgers favorite target, for yards, with 59 receptions for 850 yards and 6 scores. Alex Highsmith was the pass rushing expert for the Steelers picking up 9.5 sacks. Payton Wilson ended up getting a total of 126 tackles on the year to lead Pittsburgh.

Steelers vs Texans Prediction

Mike Tomlin has been seen as a choke coach lately when it comes to the playoffs and that is easy to see why. The Steelers do have a talented group of players coming into this game here, but the Steelers are also a team that has some aging quarterback issues and Rodgers is good, but he has been oft injured which is why he is not a Packers player anymore. Now, in this game here, though, I do see Rodgers being able to avoid injury, but probably not getting sacked a couple of times as the Texans do have an aggressive defense that can keep the Steelers passing attack in check. The one thing that Pittsburgh may have going for them is the Texans may not be fully adjusted to the cold and that could lead to fatigue issues for the Texans players. Look for that to make the difference in the game here as the Steelers are able to pick up the win, but grab the +2.5 points to be safe and bring home a win. Final Score Prediction, Pittsburgh Steelers win 21-17.

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