Pittsburgh Outslugs Houston To Advance To AFC Championship Game
Rookie Juan Steward saved his best performance for the biggest stage, shredding the Texans' defense for 123 yards and three touchdowns in the win.
| Team | Q | Time | Play | Houston | Pittsburgh |
 | 1st | 5:15 | Harrison Mevis, 31 Yd FG | 3 | 0 |
 | 1st | 2:44 | Juan Steward, 24 Yd Run | 3 | 7 |
| 1st | 1:23 | Tank Dell, 69 Yd Pass From CJ Stroud | 10 | 7 |
| 2nd | 7:35 | Juan Steward, 8 Yd Run | 10 | 14 |
| 2nd | 5:02 | Jojo McMillan, 45 Yd Run | 17 | 14 |
| 2nd | 2:55 | Brandon Aubrey, 51 Yd FG | 17 | 17 |
| 2nd | 0:00 | Brandon Aubrey, 31 Yd FG | 17 | 20 |
| 3rd | 6:17 | DK Metcalf, 14 Yd Pass From Leonard Lawry | 17 | 27 |
| 4th | 7:23 | Harrison Mevis, 45 Yd FG | 20 | 27 |
| 4th | 3:03 | Juan Steward, 14 Yd Run | 20 | 34 |
| 4th | 2:45 | Nico Collins, Returned Fumble 70 Yds | 27 | 34 |
Pittsburgh, PA. - Nathan Scheelhaase got his first taste of NFL playoff football as a head coach Sunday afternoon, and he got it in style.
The Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Houston Texans 34-27 in a Divisional Round shootout at Acrisure Stadium that was decided not by dominant defense but by the kind of timely playmaking that separates teams that advance from teams that go home. Pittsburgh advances to the AFC Championship Game for the first time under Scheelhaase, chasing a return to the Super Bowl after back-to-back appearances in 2026 and 2027.
Neither defense was particularly stout through the opening exchanges. Both offenses opened the game a perfect three-for-three on scoring drives—two touchdowns and a field goal apiece—and the contest had the feel of a track meet heading into the second quarter. The turning point arrived when Houston appeared poised to extend their momentum with a fourth consecutive scoring drive late in the half.
Cooper DeJean and T.J. Watt had other ideas. The pair converged on C.J. Stroud simultaneously, forcing the fumble, and Harold Perkins Jr. scooped it up to end the threat. Brandon Aubrey converted the ensuing possession into a 34-yard field goal that gave Pittsburgh its first lead of the afternoon heading into the break.
The turnover proved to be a ten-point swing. Leonard Lawry wasted no time executing the coveted double-dip out of halftime, finding DK Metcalf on a 14-yard touchdown strike on Pittsburgh's opening second-half possession to push the lead to ten. Houston responded with a field goal to cut the deficit back to one score, and the game settled into the kind of tense, back-and-forth exchange that playoff football demands.
Rookie Juan Steward refused to let the moment get too tight. The Tennessee product, who had already scored twice in the first half, sliced in from 14 yards out for his third touchdown of the afternoon to push Pittsburgh's advantage back to double digits, eclipsing 100 rushing yards in the process and announcing himself as one of the more impressive playoff debuts of the young postseason.
Houston got a measure of luck on their next possession. Rookie Jerry Finley hauled in a crossing route at midfield before being immediately de-cleated by Jermaine Ward—the third Texans fumble of the afternoon—and the loose ball appeared destined to end Houston's season on the spot. Then Nico Collins made a play that will live in Texans highlight reels for years. Collins bolted from the far side of the field as the ball bounced between bodies, deftly scooped it up without breaking stride, and sprinted for the end zone before Pittsburgh could process what had happened. By the time the Steelers recognized the threat, Collins was already in the end zone.
The touchdown trimmed the deficit to seven, but it was the last time Houston would touch the ball. Juan Steward rumbled for 30 yards on the ensuing kickoff return and Quinshon Judkins, who also eclipsed 100 yards on the ground, converted a pair of critical third downs to drain the remaining clock and send Pittsburgh to the AFC Championship Game.
The dual 100-yard rushing performances from Steward and Judkins were a testament to what this Steelers offense has become under Scheelhaase and offensive coordinator Zac Taylor, a physical, relentless ground attack that complements Lawry's playmaking ability and wears opposing defenses down as games progress.
Houston's season is over. Pittsburgh's is very much alive and the Steelers are as dangerous as ever.
Leonard Lawry | 17/26, 153 Yds, TD, INT CJ Stroud | 15/17, 235 Yds, TD Juan Steward | 12 Att, 123 Yds, 3 TD Jaheim White | 10 Att, 22 Yds DK Metcalf | 8 Rec, 74 Yds, TD Tank Dell | 6 Rec, 145 Yds, TD EDGE TJ Watt | 4 Tkl, 3 TFL, 1.5 Sacks, FF FS Ji'Ayid Brown | 3 Tkl, FF, FR SS Jermaine Ward | 7 Tkl, TFL, FF CB Kamari Lassiter | 7 Tkl, INT LB Sammy Brown | 13 Tkl, 2 TFL LB Henry To'oto'o | 8 Tkl, 2 TFL
