The Houston Texans walloped the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Wild Card round on Monday, 30-6. The game was as close as 7-6 as late as the fourth quarter. However, the Texans’ defense erupted against Aaron Rodgers in the fourth, forcing him to fumble, throw a pick-six, and get sacked twice.
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The defensive effort led to a sudden 23-point swing for Houston. Most notably, the pick-six thrown by Rodgers could be the last pass he ever throws in the NFL. After the play, the Steelers fell behind 30-6, and the team subbed in backup Mason Rudolph to finish the game.
After the contest, the player who caught Rodgers’ pick-six, Calen Bullock, joined Emmanuel Acho and LeSean McCoy live in the locker room to discuss the huge play that extended their lead.
“It was really just me [reading] off the quarterback. Seeing Aaron Rodgers, I knew our D-line was getting to him, so he was trying to get the ball out quick the whole day,” Bullock shared on Speakeasy. “He threw the ball right to me, and I had to go score.”
That was a talking point all night for Rodgers and the Steelers. He rarely held the ball for more than a few seconds and consistently checked it down on nearly every passing attempt. By the end of the game, he had been sacked four times and fumbled twice. To make matters worse, his average depth of completion was just 4.4 yards.
When Rodgers tried to air it out in the fourth quarter while trailing, the Texans’ defense went hunting and took advantage. They continually pressured him and forced difficult throws. It was a defensive masterclass that showed an elite unit not giving an inch.
“Every time we step out onto the field, we know we them boys,” Bullock continued. “Everybody just goes out there, and we swarm, and we trust each other. When we trust each other, we feel like nobody can mess with us. When everybody’s on their job, we go out there and play fast, play physical. That’s what we preach.”
It’s exactly what Texans HC DeMeco Ryans has been preaching ever since he got to Houston in 2023. In his first season, the defense showed flashes of greatness, but ultimately finished near the middle of the pack. Then, last season, they were a top 10 unit.
Today, the Texans are the best defense in the NFL under Ryans. They’ve been showcasing this all season. But last night, against Rodgers, a future Hall of Famer, it cemented that they are a real threat that could carry this AFC team to Super Bowl LIX.
“He got us here for a reason. We’re all dogs out there, and that’s what we go out there and show,” Bullock said of Ryans. “He’s a player’s coach. He goes out there and makes us go out and play fast. He trusts us, believes in us; he knows we’re the best defense. So, he holds us to a high standard.”
It will be interesting to see how far Ryans can take this team in the playoffs. Every fan knows that at this time of year, defense matters most. All it may take is C.J. Stroud taking care of the ball and being just good enough for them to go on a run.
Stroud kept Rodgers and the Steelers in the game all night in the Wild Card clash. He threw a red-zone interception, fumbled the ball five times, and lost two of them. If Ryans wants a chance to upset the New England Patriots on the road, he will need his QB to be better. He can rely on the defense, and the Davis Mills 3-0 stretch from earlier in the season proves Stroud does not need to be Superman.
