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Game Balls, Game Goats & FU's...........Wildcard Round.............vs Texans.....

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Chicoman

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We knew this would be a defensive struggle against the #1 NFL Defense Houston Texans. Steelers started off moving the ball pretty good the first couple drives....one leading to a FG to put the Steelers up 3-0 early. Some early success running the football had me hoping we'd see a few play action passing plays knowing that the Texans are very aggressive on Defense but we didn't see any play action passing when the running game was working....good job Arthur Smith! Let's hope the Titans are dumb enough to make him their Head Coach! Texans seemed to make adjustments after the 2nd Steelers posession and shut the Steelers offense down in the first half. The Steelers were 0 for 6 on 3rd downs in the first half. Steelers offense continued to struggle to sustain any drives in the 2nd half too. It wasn't until under 3 minutes to go in the 3rd Quarter did the Steelers run a play action pass with success to Thielen for 21 yards. Houston's pass rush was relentless and the Steelers could do very little to protect Aaron Rogers as the Steelers lost the time of posession battle which has been the theme for most of the Steelers season....leading to our Defense being on the field more than our offense most of the season.

Defensively the Steelers started off great but despite 3 turnovers they collapsed due to the inability of the offense to sustain any drives.....as too many 3 & OUTS for the Steelers offense led to our Defense being on the field too long and the Defense wore down in the fourth quarter giving up points late for the Steelers to have any chance of mounting a comeback.

So this makes 7 consecutive playoff losses for the Pittsburgh Steelers. I'm not sure where the team goes from here. We have no Quarterback for the future and I'm sorry but this coaching staff with Mike Tomlin is exactly what we saw tonight....a fringe playoff team at best. Steelers were 2 for 14 on 3rd down conversions while the Texans were 10 for 15 on 3rd down.

I actually think this team is far worse now than they were 5 years ago. You look at the Patriots on the other hand and they have rebuilt their organization to be a Super Bowl Contender for a long, long time. You will see New England get their 7th Lombardi long before the Steelers can even contend for another Super Bowl.

Another embarrassing *** kicking to close out the season! The game itself wasn't even close despite the score being close! Don't think for one minute the Steelers had any chance at winning this game tonight. I'm sick and tired of the Pittsburgh Steelers being nothing but a fringe playoff team year in, year out! I don't have any answers right now but there's plenty of blame to go around in that locker room. They were a complete embarrassment out there on that field tonight! There's plenty of blame to go around in that Organization and it all starts at the top with Art Rooney Jr., Omar "KILLER" Khan & Mike "Obviously" Tomlin!

Houston has a great Defense, Steelers were never in this game.....I'm not overly impressed with CJ Stroud but they could be the only team remaining that can beat the Bills. They might win it all this season!

Per Tomlin's Post Game:
Blah, blah, blah.....Same old bullshit! **** YOU MIKE TOMLIN!


Game Balls:
None but I will say there was one highlight for me and it should be played over and over to each and every player in that locker room and it how a Defensive player should tackle a ball carrier on each and every play. It was Peyton Wilson's perfect tackle on their receiver in the 3rd Quarter. That is how each and every Steeler player should tackle the ball carrier.

Game Goats:
Arthur Smith - Dear Tenessee....you might think you hate him now but wait til he's your Head Coach!
Teryl Austin - 4 seasons as our DC is 4 too many! FIRE THIS ******* GUY! HE SUCKS!

FU's:
Mike Tomlin **** YOU I'm done with your a$$! He needs to be shown the door! We need a disciplinarian as our Head Coach! The game has passed him by! It's TIME to move on!
 
The worst showing of all 6 wild card games! …by far!!!

Chargers at least traveled from south west to north east, practically as far as they could travel, with the worst O line in the playoffs, if not, at least the AFC and still played it closer.

The Panthers showed better against the Rams, who I believe will ultimately represent th NFC.
 
…I’d have more optimism for future if I were a Panthers Fan than Steelers.

Muth 2 targets, Warren 8 carries before it was over. 7-6 going into fourth and heavy pass over rush breakdown against “best pass rush duo!”????

What’d he think he was gonna out smart them, like they’d drop Hunter/Anderson into coverage to avoid a big gain???
 
Screenshot-from-2026-01-12-23-08-41.png
 
Chicoman said:
We knew this would be a defensive struggle against the #1 NFL Defense Houston Texans. Steelers started off moving the ball pretty good the first couple drives....one leading to a FG to put the Steelers up 3-0 early. Some early success running the football had me hoping we'd see a few play action passing plays knowing that the Texans are very aggressive on Defense but we didn't see any play action passing when the running game was working....good job Arthur Smith! Let's hope the Titans are dumb enough to make him their Head Coach! Texans seemed to make adjustments after the 2nd Steelers posession and shut the Steelers offense down in the first half. The Steelers were 0 for 6 on 3rd downs in the first half. Steelers offense continued to struggle to sustain any drives in the 2nd half too. It wasn't until under 3 minutes to go in the 3rd Quarter did the Steelers run a play action pass with success to Thielen for 21 yards. Houston's pass rush was relentless and the Steelers could do very little to protect Aaron Rogers as the Steelers lost the time of posession battle which has been the theme for most of the Steelers season....leading to our Defense being on the field more than our offense most of the season.

Defensively the Steelers started off great but despite 3 turnovers they collapsed due to the inability of the offense to sustain any drives.....as too many 3 & OUTS for the Steelers offense led to our Defense being on the field too long and the Defense wore down in the fourth quarter giving up points late for the Steelers to have any chance of mounting a comeback.

So this makes 7 consecutive playoff losses for the Pittsburgh Steelers. I'm not sure where the team goes from here. We have no Quarterback for the future and I'm sorry but this coaching staff with Mike Tomlin is exactly what we saw tonight....a fringe playoff team at best. Steelers were 2 for 14 on 3rd down conversions while the Texans were 10 for 15 on 3rd down.

I actually think this team is far worse now than they were 5 years ago. You look at the Patriots on the other hand and they have rebuilt their organization to be a Super Bowl Contender for a long, long time. You will see New England get their 7th Lombardi long before the Steelers can even contend for another Super Bowl.

Another embarrassing *** kicking to close out the season! The game itself wasn't even close despite the score being close! Don't think for one minute the Steelers had any chance at winning this game tonight. I'm sick and tired of the Pittsburgh Steelers being nothing but a fringe playoff team year in, year out! I don't have any answers right now but there's plenty of blame to go around in that locker room. They were a complete embarrassment out there on that field tonight! There's plenty of blame to go around in that Organization and it all starts at the top with Art Rooney Jr., Omar "KILLER" Khan & Mike "Obviously" Tomlin!

Houston has a great Defense, Steelers were never in this game.....I'm not overly impressed with CJ Stroud but they could be the only team remaining that can beat the Bills. They might win it all this season!

Per Tomlin's Post Game:
Blah, blah, blah.....Same old bullshit! **** YOU MIKE TOMLIN!


Game Balls:
None but I will say there was one highlight for me and it should be played over and over to each and every player in that locker room and it how a Defensive player should tackle a ball carrier on each and every play. It was Peyton Wilson's perfect tackle on their receiver in the 3rd Quarter. That is how each and every Steeler player should tackle the ball carrier.

Game Goats:
Arthur Smith - Dear Tenessee....you might think you hate him now but wait til he's your Head Coach!
Teryl Austin - 4 seasons as our DC is 4 too many! FIRE THIS ******* GUY! HE SUCKS!

FU's:
Mike Tomlin **** YOU I'm done with your a$$! He needs to be shown the door! We need a disciplinarian as our Head Coach! The game has passed him by! It's TIME to move on!
Click to expand...
Screenshot-from-2025-12-31-12-21-36.png
 
Game Balls:
JPJ - legit good game for him tonight.

Goats:
OL - Oof, it’s been awhile since they’ve gotten manhandled like that.

FUs:
Mike Tomlin and staff - Another playoff beat down. Nine years without a playoff win. First team in NFL history to lose five straight playoff games by double digits. Good thing he just ran it back yet again with the same outdated approach.
 
Chicoman said:
We knew this would be a defensive struggle against the #1 NFL Defense Houston Texans. Steelers started off moving the ball pretty good the first couple drives....one leading to a FG to put the Steelers up 3-0 early. Some early success running the football had me hoping we'd see a few play action passing plays knowing that the Texans are very aggressive on Defense but we didn't see any play action passing when the running game was working....good job Arthur Smith! Let's hope the Titans are dumb enough to make him their Head Coach! Texans seemed to make adjustments after the 2nd Steelers posession and shut the Steelers offense down in the first half. The Steelers were 0 for 6 on 3rd downs in the first half. Steelers offense continued to struggle to sustain any drives in the 2nd half too. It wasn't until under 3 minutes to go in the 3rd Quarter did the Steelers run a play action pass with success to Thielen for 21 yards. Houston's pass rush was relentless and the Steelers could do very little to protect Aaron Rogers as the Steelers lost the time of posession battle which has been the theme for most of the Steelers season....leading to our Defense being on the field more than our offense most of the season.

Defensively the Steelers started off great but despite 3 turnovers they collapsed due to the inability of the offense to sustain any drives.....as too many 3 & OUTS for the Steelers offense led to our Defense being on the field too long and the Defense wore down in the fourth quarter giving up points late for the Steelers to have any chance of mounting a comeback.

So this makes 7 consecutive playoff losses for the Pittsburgh Steelers. I'm not sure where the team goes from here. We have no Quarterback for the future and I'm sorry but this coaching staff with Mike Tomlin is exactly what we saw tonight....a fringe playoff team at best. Steelers were 2 for 14 on 3rd down conversions while the Texans were 10 for 15 on 3rd down.

I actually think this team is far worse now than they were 5 years ago. You look at the Patriots on the other hand and they have rebuilt their organization to be a Super Bowl Contender for a long, long time. You will see New England get their 7th Lombardi long before the Steelers can even contend for another Super Bowl.

Another embarrassing *** kicking to close out the season! The game itself wasn't even close despite the score being close! Don't think for one minute the Steelers had any chance at winning this game tonight. I'm sick and tired of the Pittsburgh Steelers being nothing but a fringe playoff team year in, year out! I don't have any answers right now but there's plenty of blame to go around in that locker room. They were a complete embarrassment out there on that field tonight! There's plenty of blame to go around in that Organization and it all starts at the top with Art Rooney Jr., Omar "KILLER" Khan & Mike "Obviously" Tomlin!

Houston has a great Defense, Steelers were never in this game.....I'm not overly impressed with CJ Stroud but they could be the only team remaining that can beat the Bills. They might win it all this season!

Per Tomlin's Post Game:
Blah, blah, blah.....Same old bullshit! **** YOU MIKE TOMLIN!


Game Balls:
None but I will say there was one highlight for me and it should be played over and over to each and every player in that locker room and it how a Defensive player should tackle a ball carrier on each and every play. It was Peyton Wilson's perfect tackle on their receiver in the 3rd Quarter. That is how each and every Steeler player should tackle the ball carrier.

Game Goats:
Arthur Smith - Dear Tenessee....you might think you hate him now but wait til he's your Head Coach!
Teryl Austin - 4 seasons as our DC is 4 too many! FIRE THIS ******* GUY! HE SUCKS!

FU's:
Mike Tomlin **** YOU I'm done with your a$$! He needs to be shown the door! We need a disciplinarian as our Head Coach! The game has passed him by! It's TIME to move on!
Click to expand...
Forgot to goat DK for dropping easy catches. Guy is a monster WR and drops way too many balls.
Jonnu Smith, a complete and utter disaster.
 
Hines57 said:
Forgot to goat DK for dropping easy catches. Guy is a monster WR and drops way too many balls.
Jonnu Smith, a complete and utter disaster.
Click to expand...
The Steelers had the worst package of plays for Jonnu Smith. If he touched the ball this year the defense was probably cheering.
 
SteelerFan448 said:
The Steelers had the worst package of plays for Jonnu Smith. If he touched the ball this year the defense was probably cheering.
Click to expand...
Aaron and Jonnu clearly had no chemistry. Pat should have gotten the majority of reps in that monstrosity of a masquerade . Smith loves to spread reps around way too much, part of the reason that got him canned as a head coach.

Not that a different coordinator would have resulted in any different outcome with the HC deficiency in place.

But yeah was one in a long line of bad decisions that took place.
 
Metcalf is a goat and it was a mistake acquiring him. Talent acquisition is the even bigger reason Tomlin needs to go. Trading up for Jones, Roman Wilson and Caleb Johnson being inactive, having no #2 receiver two years in a row, musical chairs in the secondary, extending Watt - Top 5 All-Time Steeler but he needs 15+ sacks a year to earn his contract.
 
My game ball goes to Pat.. ignored all year ignored all game and makes the hardest catch last night and that is it.
FU Tomlin classless Rogers is my man I walk with him bla bla bla, and then puts Rudolph in.. Rogers was a goat all night leave him in to the end.
FU a bust DK, stupid move in Detroit, drop balls in hands, we hear he had this great week of practice all rested and did zero.
Goats us fans who stick it out week in and week out watching same outcome, we act as Dallas this will be the year, defense historic,
 
black and gold apex said:
My game ball goes to Pat.. ignored all year ignored all game and makes the hardest catch last night and that is it.
FU Tomlin classless Rogers is my man I walk with him bla bla bla, and then puts Rudolph in.. Rogers was a goat all night leave him in to the end.
FU a bust DK, stupid move in Detroit, drop balls in hands, we hear he had this great week of practice all rested and did zero.
Goats us fans who stick it out week in and week out watching same outcome, we act as Dallas this will be the year, defense historic,
Click to expand...
I didn’t even notice that? I was so pissed off. They put Rudolph in?
 
BLITZ said:
Fu to me for thinking this year results would be different.
Click to expand...
As I said I thought Aaron could be a difference maker and to a small degree he was. But with the deficient product in place it would be hard for any QB to achieve anything noteworthy here.
 
I think the addition of Rodgers was enough to win the Tomlinship... They eeked out 10 wins with a lucky missed FG to sneak into the playoffs.

This is a 4-13 team without Rodgers or worse.

As inept as the Offense was, our defense displays alarming inconsistency. They make a good play, but they fold like a wet noodle when in a favorable down/distance. How do you give up a 46 yard pass on 3rd and 15???

I am tired of our current brand of nfl football. The team lacks any identity... They are a shining example of mediocrity with the exception of a top 5 NFL kicker.

A full teardown and rebuild is in order, GM, coaching staff, roster.

7 straight playoff losses where the team was behind by at least 21 points in every one. That's an ominous record that will last a while.
 
Game Ball - if anyone it is Boz, not for being awesome but getting back in the saddle and showing you are undeterred
GOAT(s) - The defense, Seumalo (seeing him get pan-caked on national TV was awesome), and DK (should be in the FU category but saving that)

FU(s) - where to begin here? Well, first off...a HUGE FU to ME, for being 'hoodwinked' once again! I was skeptical all the way up to the beginning of this game, as it was warranted, and had been whitelisting 'Renegade' since last week. FU to ME!

FU Mr. Cool Shades, FU Arty Smith, and FU Austin - CLEAN F****** HOUSE PLEASE!
 
Last edited:
Literally putting my money were my mouth is… after over 23 consecutive years of having the NFL Sunday Ticket (I’m a creature of habit that prefers ease of use) I have cancelled my subscription first thing this morning.

I had aspirations of attending draft in Pittsburgh, I will no longer pursue.

I will make zero plans to attend games, either in Pittsburgh (I’ve traveled to more than 20 times, being from/living in NY my entire 53 years) or away, having seen games in Miami, Jacksonville, NE and NY any time they play the Jets/Giants.

This particular product has become a rip off to me as a consumer, with no urgency to improve what they offer, based on failing leadership.

I’ve been a fan since ‘79, when I was 7, because I wanted to emulate my older brother that became a fan, because he comprehended that something special had transpired over that decade, as I could not quite grasp yet.

I proudly wore a black satin Steelers jacket as I delivered news papers from the time I was 12 until I could get an actual job.

Converted my dad to a Steelers fan and had him make multiple trips with me to games.

And, thankfully, made countless friends, I still keep in touch with, from many of those trips.

Just done
 
The only time pretty much all season this offense looked competent was when they were in the hurry up. Houston has a balls-out super aggressive defense. Naturally we never went to the hurry up, never tried play action, threw 2 passes over 15 yards all game, etc.

The idiots that say it's on the players and not the coaches are insane.
 
I have to throw in an FU to the refs. How many times were they going to allow Rodgers to get hit in the head with no penalty? I counted at least 4, but didn't see every play. The worst one came on the 1st pick six that basically put the Texans up for good at 17-6. Rodgers got hit hard in the head, and they took the ball from him as his head was bent down from the hit. The game was over at that point.
 
I’ve watched the Texans defense do this to teams all year living here in Houston.
The 27th ranked offense was simply no match for the #1 ranked defense.
If CJ hadn’t tried to give the game away this could have been much worse.
I kept hearing that the Texans offense wouldn’t be able to do much but they have unsung players like Kirk and Schultz who came up
big with Nico Collin’s going down.
The running game which without Joe Mixon was pretty pedestrian but last night Woody Marks came through.
The Steelers backed in to the playoffs because of a missed FG as time expired and won a crappy division.
The Steelers last night have now gone nine seasons without a playoff victory.
They suffered the worst home playoff loss in team history.
Mike Tomlin is Marvin Lewis 2.0.
Please Rooney do the fan base a huge favor and move on from Tomlin.
Bring in a young, innovative head coach who can rebuild this roster and weed out the aging veterans.
It’s time now Art!
 
steelhurt said:
I’ve watched the Texans defense do this to teams all year living here in Houston.
The 27th ranked offense was simply no match for the #1 ranked defense.
If CJ hadn’t tried to give the game away this could have been much worse.
I kept hearing that the Texans offense wouldn’t be able to do much but they have unsung players like Kirk and Schultz who came up
big with Nico Collin’s going down.
The running game which without Joe Mixon was pretty pedestrian but last night Woody Marks came through.
The Steelers backed in to the playoffs because of a missed FG as time expired and won a crappy division.
The Steelers last night have now gone nine seasons without a playoff victory.
They suffered the worst home playoff loss in team history.
Mike Tomlin is Marvin Lewis 2.0.
Please Rooney do the fan base a huge favor and move on from Tomlin.
Bring in a young, innovative head coach who can rebuild this roster and weed out the aging veterans.
It’s time now Art!
Click to expand...
"The 27th ranked offense was simply no match for the #1 ranked defense." Absolutely True!!!

We would be remiss to point out CJ Stroud had 5 fumbles and lost 3. Points off turnovers is truly a stat that is kept. I am still adding up the Steelers points off turnovers! Public school and all I still come up with ZERO!

This team was NO match for the entire Texans team, from coaching on down!

What a way, on national television...in prime time....to finish off a great weekend of Wild Card playoff games!!!!
 
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