The Pittsburgh Steelers didn't ease their way into January... they were pulled into it, breath held, by the final snap of the 2025 regular season. A missed field goal by Baltimore's Tyler Loop, the last play of the NFL calendar, became the hinge that swung the Steelers into the postseason.
Survival, not dominance, earned them a Wild Card date with the Houston Texans, and an absolute war could be on the horizon with one of football's most suffocating defenses on Monday night.
Pittsburgh enters the playoffs knowing exactly who it is and, just as importantly, what it can't be. Against Houston, it can't become a drop-back game. It can't turn into Aaron Rodgers holding the ball, waiting for routes to develop, while Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter pin their ears back and close space that never truly existed.
Because the Texans, led by HC DeMeco Ryans, are built to punish hesitation. Anderson and Hunter collapse edges with speed and power. Their linebackers trigger downhill without wasted steps. Derek Stingley Jr. erases space on the outside, Kamari Lassiter challenges timing, and Jalen Pitre plays with the urgency of a heat-seeking missile.
Houston doesn't wait for offenses to make mistakes -- it forces them.
That reality leaves Pittsburgh with one clear counterpunch: run directly at the problem.
Pittsburgh Steelers need to pound the rock to upset Texans in the Wild Card round
It's where Jaylen Warren becomes central to everything the Steelers want to do. Not as a change-of-pace piece or a situational option, but as a volume runner who can set the tone snap after snap. Warren’s value is not only in his burst or contact balance, but in how he compresses a defense. He gives Pittsburgh a way to slow the game, shorten possessions, and keep Houston from dictating terms with its pass rush.
If the Steelers can't generate yards on first down, and if second down becomes predictable, third-and-long will turn into a flat-out nightmare. And that's where Houston thrives. Feeding Warren 15 to 20 carries is not about stubbornness to expand the offense; it's about survival. It's about forcing linebackers to step forward instead of flying downhill untouched. It's about making Anderson and Hunter play the run honestly before unleashing them into obvious passing situations.
Because in the playoffs, these are games that Pittsburgh doesn't have to win with elegance. It's one they have to grind, and Warren gives them a chance to control tempo, protect an immobile quarterback, and keep the Texans’ defense from playing at full throttle for four quarters.
The Steelers didn't arrive here by dominating anyone; they arrived because they endured. Against Houston, endurance alone will not be enough. They need commitment. They need physicality. And above all, they need their running back to carry more than just the football.