The Houston Texans and Pittsburgh Steelers face off on Monday evening to close out the Wild Card Round of the 2026 NFL Playoffs. The AFC bracket is just about settled with this game setting the final matchup. The winner of this game will face the New England Patriots in the Divisional Round.
Who will the Houston Texans play in the AFC Divisional Round?
The Texans and Steelers are facing off in the final Wild Card Round game of the 2026 NFL Playoffs. We break down who the winner will face in the Divisional Round.
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Winners next playoff opponent
Game result: The Texans beat the Steelers 30-6 to advance to the Divisional Round. C.J. Stroud struggled for a good chunk of the night, throwing an interception and repeatedly mishandling snaps, but it didn’t matter. Houston’s defense on its own did enough to win this game with two scores in the fourth quarter. The Texans will travel to face the Patriots in the Divisional Round.
The Patriots are the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoff bracket. They finished the season 14-3 and lost the common games tiebreaker to the Broncos for the No. 1 seed. The Patriots lost to the Raiders in Week 1 and given how bad Las Vegas turned out to be this season, that anomaly on the schedule was the difference in home field and the first round bye.
The Patriots faced the Chargers in the Wild Card Round. The teams could only manage field goals through the first three quarters, with New England taking a 9-3 lead into the final frame. They finally found the end zone when Drake Maye connected with Hunter Henry for the only touchdown of the game. The Patriots took a 16-3 lead at the 9:45 mark and the Chargers were unable to get into the end zone the rest of the way.
History vs. New England Patriots
Record: 4-9 regular season, 0-2 postseason
The Texans and Patriots last played a year ago, with Houston going into Foxboro and winning 41-21. The Patriots have won both playoff games between the two franchises. Most recently, New England won 34-16 in the 2017 Divisional Round.
Texans playoff history
The Texans are in the playoffs for a third straight season and are looking to win their Wild Card matchup also for the third straight season. The past two years, they’ve won the AFC South and were eventually eliminated in the Divisional Round. This year as a wild card team, they are on the road against Pittsburgh. The Texans have appeared in the Divisional Round six times, but have never won in that round.
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