Was that the end for Aaron Rodgers?
The legendary quarterback’s playing future will be the biggest story to come out of Tuesday’s final game of the NFL’s wild card round, which saw the Houston Texans eliminate the Pittsburgh Steelers with a 30-6 win at Acrisure Stadium.
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The result sees the Texans seal a divisional round meeting with the New England Patriots, although they may be without Nico Collins after the superstar receiver was ruled out mid-game with a concussion.
In his absence, veteran Christian Kirk turned back the clock with his best game since being traded to the Texans, finishing with eight catches for 145 yards and a touchdown.
Rookie running back Woody Marks, meanwhile, had the first 100-yard game of his career and added a touchdown on the ground.
Houston quarterback C.J. Stroud, meanwhile, had a forgettable night with three turnovers but still managed to complete 21 of 32 passes for 250 yards and a touchdown.
Rodgers, on the other hand, was sacked four times as he completed 17 passes for just 146 yards in a scoreless outing.
DK Metcalf (42 yards) was Pittsburgh’s leading receiver.
Rodgers said in July last year that he was “pretty sure” he would retire following the 2025-26 season, although NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported earlier in the week that the Steelers were open to the future Hall of Famer returning for another year.
Ultimately though, it seems like it be Rodgers’ decision and ESPN commentator Troy Aikman said on Tuesday if he was betting he would say “this is the last game” the four-time MVP will play.
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin’s future will also be a talking point despite extending his streak of winning seasons to 19 this year.
Tuesday’s loss made it a ninth year that Pittsburgh would go without a playoffs win, having last tasted success in the postseason against the Kansas City Chiefs in January 2017.
The Steelers were first on the board through a Chris Boswell field goal and had an opportunity to put more points on the board after a Stroud fumble on an attempted flea flicker.
Instead, Pittsburgh went three-and-out as Metcalf dropped what would have been a big completion on 2nd-and-10.
The Texans then methodically worked their way into the red zone before Stroud faked the jet sweep to Xavier Hutchinson and instead found Christian Kirk open for the go-ahead touchdown.
Stroud, who had not fumbled all season before Tuesday, coughed up possession again later in the second quarter but the Steelers once more were forced to settle for a field goal.
It was always expected this game would be a defensive arm wrestle and after Houston extended its lead with a Ka’imi Fairbairn field goal, the relentless Texans pass rush eventually got through to sack Rodgers for the fumble recovery touchdown.
That put Houston ahead 17-6 with 11 minutes left before Marks punched one in and Rodgers then threw a pick-six in a desperate attempt to salvage the game for the Steelers.
Pittsburgh had struggled to move the ball consistently all game and had found it particularly had to get explosive plays and that remained the case for the remainder of the fourth quarter as the Texans booked a meeting with Drake Maye and the New England Patriots.
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