NFL Week 18 Overreactions
USAT’s Prince Grimes breaks down the NFL playoff picture after closing out the regular season.
Sports Seriously
The Houston Texans and Pittsburgh Steelers play on Monday, Jan. 12, at the Steelers’ Acrisure Stadium in a game on the NFL playoff schedule for wild-card weekend.
Which team will win the first-round NFL postseason game?
Check out these NFL playoff picks and NFL playoff predictions for the game, which can be seen at 6 p.m. MST on ESPN and ABC (stream with FUBO).
The Texans are a 3.5-point favorite over the Steelers in NFL playoff odds for the game, courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook.
Houston is -180 on the moneyline, while Pittsburgh is +150. The over/under (point total) is set at 39.5 points.
Watch Texans at Steelers live on FUBO (free trial)
Jeremy Cluff writes: “Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers were very fortunate to make the NFL postseason, but now run into a Houston team that has won nine games in a row. Their good fortune will run out. The Texans’ elite defense will be a key factor and C.J. Stroud will do enough to send Houston to the Divisional Round of the NFL postseason for the third straight season.”
Bookies.com: Bet the Texans to cover vs Steelers
Bill Speros writes: “The Texans remain the Wild Card Team To Watch in the AFC. Houston closed the regular season with 8 straight wins, beating 3 playoff teams (Jacksonville, Buffalo and the LA Chargers) along the way. The Texans nearly knocked off the Chiefs last January on the frozen tundra of Arrowhead. This time, Park Avenue won’t stand in their way. Houston QB C.J. Stroud delivers a clean performance, Nico Collins makes the key catches, and the Texans defense does the rest in the win and cover.”
NFL playoff schedule: Rams at Panthers | Packers at Bears | Bills at Jaguars | 49ers at Eagles | Chargers at Patriots | Texans at Steelers | Seahawks next game | Broncos next game | NFL playoff bracket | When is Super Bowl? | TV channels, streaming
The site’s formula predicts that the Texans will win the NFL playoff game against the Steelers.
ESPN: Texans have a 54.4% chance to beat Steelers on Monday
The site gives the Steelers a 45.6% shot at winning the NFL playoff game.
NFL playoff odds: Rams at Panthers | Packers at Bears | Bills at Jaguars | 49ers at Eagles | Chargers at Patriots | Texans at Steelers | Wild-card odds | Super Bowl odds
Dimers: Texans 21, Steelers 18
It writes: “After extensive simulations, our model gives the Texans a win probability of 64%, while the Steelers have a win probability of 36%.”
Sportsnaut: Houston Texans 13, Pittsburgh Steelers 7
Matt Johnson writes: “The one thing Pittsburgh has going for it in this matchup is its defensive line against the Texans offensive line. That is Houston’s biggest problem and it can derail drives for an entire half, as has happened countless times this year. With that said, we’re picking the team with the best quarterback and defense to win this game.”
Reach Jeremy Cluff at jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.
Support local journalism: Subscribe to azcentral.com today. Sign up for azcentral Preps Now. And be sure to subscribe to our daily sports newsletters so you don’t miss a thing.