H’s up, towels out. The Houston Texans and Pittsburgh Steelers come together for the NFL’s sixth and final wild-card playoff game. The winner will visit the New England Patriots in the divisional round.

Strange as it is, Pittsburgh quarterback Aaron Rodgers made his pro playing debut one season before Houston head coach DeMeco Ryans made his. Rodgers, who has been in the league since 2005, continues a late-career surge in black and yellow. Ryans, the 2006 Defensive Rookie of the Year, now calls shots for what might be the league’s hottest team. With a hyped matchup and a variety of broadcast options to consider, here’s what the viewership should know before Monday’s kickoff.

How to watch Texans at Steelers

ABC is free over the air. All ESPN networks also stream on ESPN Unlimited.

The teamsHouston (12-5)

After the season’s first three weeks, the Texans were flailing about. Houston was sitting at 0-3, quarterback C.J. Stroud had more interceptions than touchdowns, and the offensive line was among the league’s worst groups. Smash cut to … a nine-game win streak? Super Bowl aspirations? How did that happen?

For one, the protection improved up front. Houston’s offensive line allowed eight sacks through the first three games, yet zero in the final three-week stretch of the season. Overall, Pro Football Focus graded the O-line at No. 5 in pass-blocking efficiency this season. Given a bit more time to operate, Stroud was able to connect with downfield wideout Nico Collins (6-foot-4) and sturdy tight end Dalton Schultz (6-foot-5) on a regular basis. Rookie receiver Jayden Higgins also emerged as a weapon for Stroud in the second half of the season.

But mainly, the defense went into overdrive. If the visitors log a 10th consecutive W and advance to the divisional round, it will likely come from its dream-crushing defense.

Houston wrecked its opponents with dueling top-shelf edge rushers. Danielle Hunter notched 15 sacks; Will Anderson Jr. had 12. The secondary flattened passing lanes from sideline to sideline. Four different Texans DBs had four picks this season, headlined by star corner Derek Stingley Jr. Though Stingley (oblique) and fellow CB Kamari Lassiter (ankle, knee) were banged up heading into the weekend, both are expected  to play Monday night.

Pittsburgh (10-7)

Mike Tomlin’s Steelers logged 10 wins for the third year in a row, even though they finished with a narrow plus-10 point margin and ranked 27th in yardage differential. The stunning regular-season finale against the Baltimore Ravens aside, Pittsburgh pulled an AFC North title through unglamorous but reliable means. It was fourth in both giveaways and takeaways. It won the real estate battle — ninth in average starting field position on offense, second on defense. And it played some of its best football down the stretch, with four wins in the final five weeks.

Rodgers completed 66.5 percent of his passes and threw five touchdowns to zero interceptions in Weeks 14-18. He utilized running back Kenneth Gainwell in the flat, plus a trio of tight ends (Pat Freiermuth, Darnell Washington and Jonnu Smith). As noted by Sumer Sports, the Steelers were No. 2 in three-tight end personnel rate. However, Washington broke his arm in Week 17 and is on injured reserve. Smith, who was added to the injury report Friday due to a glute issue, was a full participant in Saturday’s practice.

Top receiver DK Metcalf will return after serving a two-game suspension. Despite his recent absence, he still led the team in targets, receiving yards and touchdown catches by a wide margin. According to The Athletic’s Mike DeFabo, Metcalf was targeted on 22.4 percent of his team’s pass plays when he was in the lineup.

On the other side, Pittsburgh put up the No. 7 red zone defense. It got Pro Bowl bids from T.J. Watt and Jalen Ramsey, while 15-year Steeler Cameron Heyward started all 17 games at defensive tackle. The 36-year-old earned the second-best PFF run defense grade for his position.

The broadcast

It’s the standard “Monday Night Football” booth, with Joe Buck on play-by-play and Troy Aikman on color commentary. The game is over the air on ABC, which means it’s free for folks with a TV antenna. It’s also on ESPN, with several simulcast options for those so inclined.

On ESPN2, Peyton and Eli Manning host the “ManningCast” and will be joined by J.J. Watt (three-time Defensive Player of the Year with the Texans and T.J.’s older brother) and Ben Roethlisberger (18-year career under center, all with the Steelers). Presumably, neither one requires the profanity warning issued to last weekend’s guest, Marshawn Lynch.

Both Peyton and Eli bring postseason expertise to the broadcast. The elder Manning’s career playoff ledger: a 14-13 record with two Super Bowl wins, and 40 touchdowns to 25 interceptions. The younger Manning’s: an 8-4 mark with a matching pair of Lombardi Trophy lifts, and 18 TDs to 9 INTs.

On ESPN Unlimited, there’s an “NFL Wild Card Playbook with Next Gen Stats.” That offering uses data visualizations, advanced stats and an all-22 overhead camera angle.

The playoff histories

This is the first Texans-Steelers postseason pairing. Pittsburgh is among the NFL’s winningest franchises ever, with 36 playoff victories and six Super Bowl triumphs. Houston is as undecorated as it gets — six playoff wins in 14 tries, 0-6 on the road in the postseason, and zero conference championship berths across its 24 seasons.

Both quarterbacks have records to their names. Per NFL Media, Stroud set the all-time high for passer rating in a debut playoff start. He posted a near-perfect 157.2 mark on Jan. 13, 2024, though Green Bay Packers QB Jordan Love matched that precisely just one day later. If Stroud takes Monday’s matchup, he’ll become the fourth starting quarterback with a playoff win in each of his first three seasons (the others are Otto Graham, Joe Flacco and Russell Wilson).

Also according to NFL Media, Rodgers has the longest streak of playoff games with multiple touchdown passes (9, from the 2015-20 seasons). He enters Monday with the fourth-most postseason passing yards in league history, and needs 79 to surpass Roethlisberger (Tom Brady and Peyton Manning are first and second, respectively). Rodgers is also tied for third all-time in TD throws with 45. He needs one score to separate from Joe Montana, and two to pass Patrick Mahomes for No. 2 (Brady leads with 88).

The odds

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