Grading the Win in Pittsburgh by the Texans Over Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers
The last bit before moving to the New England Patriots
Landry Locker grades the performance of the Texans. Here are the grades for the win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Follow Landry on YouTube.
The Wild Card meeting in Pittsburgh will go down as one of the best defensive performances in franchise history and the end of the Aaron Rodgers Era. The defense made the future Hall of Fame quarterback go out about as bad as he possibly could have. It was dominant on the defensive side of the ball.
As for the offense, there was some good and some bad, specifically at the quarterback position. The Texans were able to overcome the mistakes due to their superpower, DeMeco Ryans’s defense, which is garnering more national love than any other unit in all of football.
Here are this week’s Land Lock grades…
Quarterback: C
C.J. Stroud’s highs were high, and his lows were extremely low. He must be better for the Texans to reach the ultimate goal, but it wasn’t all bad, especially on third down.
The defense gave Stroud (and Texans fans) room to breathe with constant bailouts after mistakes and a Sheldon Rankins touchdown that gave the team a 17-6 lead in the fourth quarter.
Stroud is clearly still hesitant to run since returning from the concussion, and he forgot how to catch a snap a couple of times. However, some of his third-down throws were as good as it gets. It was an ultimate roller coaster for the third-year quarterback.
Stroud needs to improve, and heading into New England, the Patriots have the clear advantage at the quarterback position. Can the defense continue to carry the load, or can Stroud elevate his play?
Running Backs: A+
Woody Marks was incredible and set the tone for the entire offense with 112 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. His intensity could be felt throughout the game and heard courtesy of the ESPN hot mic. He was nothing short of amazing.
Maybe I am a prisoner of the moment, but this was a tone-setting 2024 Joe Mixon-like performance and easily the best game of his career, which is even more impressive given the fact that he’s a rookie.
Nick Chubb also had a good performance in the third-down and backup running back role with a few tone-setting runs of his own.
This was the best complementary display of the Chubb-Woody combo that we have seen, and it came when the Texans needed it the most.
Wide Receivers: A+
Christian Kirk had his best game as a Texan and the best game of his career with 144 yards, a touchdown, and some massive third-down receptions with eight catches total.
DeAndre Hopkins, Nico Collins, and Andre Johnson each have one career 100-yard playoff performance, and none of them were as impactful or statistically productive as Kirk’s in Pittsburgh.
In fact, this performance was two things.
One: One of the most surprising performances in Texans history, given how unproductive Kirk was in the regular season.
Two: Maybe the best playoff performance by a Texans wide receiver in franchise history.
Nico Collins got banged up early in the game and eventually left the game with a concussion. He had an opportunity to make a MASSIVE play before the end of the first half, but Stroud sailed the pass a bit high.
Xavier Hutchinson had a couple of catches, including a 16-yard catch to move the chains. Jayden Higgins made a few plays as well. These two, along with Kirk and perhaps Jaylin Noel, who just missed a chance at a huge play, will be counted on big time in New England, with Collins most likely not playing due to the concussion he suffered.
Tight Ends: B+
Dalton Schultz took advantage of the opportunities he was given, and Cade Stover had a solid game with a chain-moving run on third-down and two catches for 13 yards.
The blocking also wasn’t an issue, which hasn’t always been the case.
You’ll take this performance every week from this group.
Offensive Line: C
The offensive line did a solid job of run blocking, with the pass blocking being up and down.
There’s something significantly off with the exchange between center Jake Andrews and Stroud. Even during the current win streak, there have been signs of issues with the quarterback-center exchange, with the low-point coming in Pittsburgh. It’s not all Andrews’s fault, and fortunately, the ultimate disaster was avoided, but it needs to be cleaned up.
Overall, the performance was fine based on expectations; they were actually pretty good, but the situation at the center is a problem that MUST be fixed.
Defensive Line: A
Aaron Rodgers was rattled on the field and on the sidelines all night because of the guys up front. Literally everyone in the rotation contributed, from Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr. all the way down to Naquan Jones.
Sheldon Rankins staying on his feet and scoring the touchdown that put the game in firm control in the fourth quarter was also MASSIVE, especially with the way CJ Stroud was looking at the time, without that play it’s still a stressful one-possession game.
Linebackers: A
The linebackers were solid against the run and against the pass, which was one of the biggest areas of concern heading into the game. They were violent and in the right place.
Azeez Al-Shaair has been elite all season, and after a rough stretc,h Henry To’oTo’o has played his best football in the last few weeks.
Cornerbacks: A
DK Metcalf got off to a decent start, but after a drop in the first quarter, he wasn’t targeted again until the fourth quarter. There was one penalty by Kamari Lassiter, but other than that, the corners, as expected, held up nicely.
Safeties: A
Calen Bullock picked off the final pass Aaron Rodgers will likely throw in the NFL and scored a touchdown on the play. That has to be one of the best trophy room displays ever.
Jaylen Reed played well after exiting the game during the first drive, and Myles Bryant held up nicely. The safeties did what you’d expect them to do.
Jalen Pitre was a tone-setting badass all night, and this was one of the best games of his career. He has made anyone who questioned the timeliness of his contract extension, including me, look foolish. He didn't play in the postseason last year, but he made an impact in the biggest way and calmed a lot of nerves when the game was still close and stressful to watch.
Special Teams: B
Tommy Townsend had a 22-yard shank that led to Steelers points, which cannot happen in the playoffs, but he recovered nicely.
Fairbairn had a clutch 51-yarder in the cold, but missed an extra point below the crossbar, which didn’t matter at the time because the game was out of hand, but it is something to monitor moving forward.
The coverage was solid, and there were no significant returns on either side.
Coaching: A
DeMeco Ryans is now 3-0 in the Wild Card round with a point differential of +77, it’s hard to call that a coincidence; there’s something to it. The defense was perfect, and they elected not to shadow DK Metcalf, who was a virtual non-factor.
Nick Caley called an awesome game, and as I have pointed out, he has been better than the quarterback in the last few weeks. The flea-flicker was a suspect call, but in that situation, Stroud has to be aware and just bail on the play by either taking a sack or running. We saw Stroud get out of trouble after being unable to come up with a snap on the first touchdown drive, so we know he’s capable of it. Caley also did a really good job of mixing it up on first down with some play action, especially in the second half. Did Caley flip the switch?!
Troy Aikman was critical of the operation at the end of the second quarter, making him the third Hall of Fame broadcaster to question the offense at the end of the first half in real time. The efforts in Indianapolis and Los Angeles were horrible, but unlike Aikman, I had no issues in Pittsburgh. If Stroud makes a good throw to Collins rather than sailing the ball, then the Texans either score a touchdown or kick a field goal.
The coaching was solid, and it’s on to New England.
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