The Pittsburgh Steelers have an ugly playoff record in recent years. They haven’t won a postseason game since the 2016 season. However, they’re hosting a playoff game for the first time in five years. While they lost their last postseason game in Pittsburgh, perhaps home-field advantage will be enough to fuel them to a win over the Houston Texans. Former NFL corner Aqib Talib knows that playing in Pittsburgh is no joke, especially on Monday nights.

“If this game was on Saturday or Sunday, I would’ve picked the Texans,” Talib said recently on The Arena podcast. “This game is on Monday. Mike [Tomlin] don’t lose on Monday night. It’s juju. You catch Mike T on a Monday night, he’s got a great Monday night speech. He don’t fucking lose. It’s gonna be nighttime.

“It’s gonna be rocking. If we was to name the top three toughest places to play in the league, Pittsburgh be one of them. These young boys gotta go to Pittsburgh, see vet A-Rod [Aaron Rodgers]. A-Rod and Arthur Smith, I feel like they found something last game.”

Talib is correct that Tomlin has never lost a home game on Monday night. That streak extends beyond him, too. The Steelers haven’t lost in Pittsburgh on Monday since 1991. Chuck Noll was the head coach that year.

Also, Talib has experience dealing with the atmosphere at Heinz Field/Acrisure Stadium. He was a key part of the 2015 Denver Broncos, who lost to the Steelers in Pittsburgh that year. That was the last game the Broncos lost that season, and while they later knocked the Steelers out of the playoffs, that game was played in Denver. Maybe things would’ve been different if it had been in Pittsburgh.

However, the Steelers haven’t done a great job protecting their stadium in the postseason during Tomlin’s tenure. They’re 5-4 in Pittsburgh in the playoffs since Tomlin became their head coach in 2007. That includes a 1-3 record in their last four home playoff games.

There are some other records that favor the Steelers, though. For instance, the Texans have never won a road playoff game. Also, their home stadium is a dome. They don’t usually have to deal with the elements that will be prevail in Pittsburgh Monday night.

Something will have to give this week. Either the Steelers will lose on Monday night or they’ll finally win a playoff game. The Texans are a young team, with quarterback C.J. Stroud only in his third season. However, they’ve also got the NFL’s best defense. That unit could quickly silence the Pittsburgh crowd.