Houston Texans at Pittsburgh Steelers NFL Week Wildcard Round Tips & Predictions - Defence & Fairburn’s foot is the winning recipe

Jeremy Darke

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Last updated: Fri 09 Jan 2026 09:51

Jeremy Darke 09 Jan 2026

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Houston Texans at Pittsburgh Steelers Expert NFL Tips for Week Wildcard Round
Kick Off is at 12:00 PM AEDT at Acrisure Stadium
Houston Texans on a 9-game winning streak, boast top-ranked defence.
Key players: Ka'imi Fairbairn (kicker) & Jayden Higgins (TD scorer).

Houston Texans at Pittsburgh Steelers NFL Week Wildcard Round Tips

Houston Texans at Pittsburgh Steelers NFL Week Wildcard Round Tips & Predictions

All of Aaron Rodgers' experience won’t be enough to unlock the league’s best defence and the Houston Texans will progress to the Divisional Round of the playoffs.

Houston Texans at Pittsburgh Steelers NFL Week Wildcard Round Tips & Predictions
Head to Head Record
Houston Texans Form
Houston Texans Betting Trends
Pittsburgh Steelers Form
Pittsburgh Steelers Betting Trends
Houston Texans vs Pittsburgh Steelers Frequently Asked Questions

The Steelers come into this match as 3-point underdogs at home and rightfully so as they face the daunting task of trying to break down the Demarco Ryan and the Houston defence that has them heading into the playoffs on the longest winning streak of any team in the postseason.

The topped ranked defence and the best field goal kicker in the league has been the remedy for success in Houston and it will be enough to get past Pittsburgh and any hoodoo that might be on the goal posts at Acrisure Stadium.

Two modest offence and one top defence will ensure that this match stays under the low total of 38.5 points and we will see Ka'imi Fairbairn in action kicking more than 7.5 points in the match.

Touchdowns will be rare in Pittsburgh but I like the value of Jayden Higgins as an anytime TD and even first TD scorer. He has just 4 endzone catches in his last 10 games, but all have been the first.

Houston has won 9 straight games.
The Texans allow just 17.2 points per game this season
Ka'imi Fairbairn has tallied over 7.5 kicking points in 7 straight matches for the Texans.
Jayden Higgins has scored the first touchdown in the last two games for the Texans.

Head to Head Record

All Time Record

Pittsburgh Steelers lead all-time series 5-3.

Most Recent Matchup

Date	Result
Oct 1, 2023	PIT 6, @HOU 30

Statistical Rankings

Stat	HOU	PIT
Points Scored/Game	23.8 (13th)	23.4 (15th)
Points Allowed/Game	17.4 (2nd)	22.8 (17th)
Pass Yds/Game	218 (14th)	202 (22nd)
Rush Yds/Game	108 (22nd)	103 (26th)
Def. Pass Yds/Game	183 (6th)	243 (29th)
Def. Rush Yds/Game	93 (4th)	113 (13th)

Houston Texans Form

The Texans come into the NFL playoffs as the hottest team in the competition, winning 9 straight games, however, it wasn’t enough to clinch the AFC South with Jacksonville also going on a 7-0 run to close out the year.

C.J Stroud has matured this season behind centre, protecting the ball well enough with 8 interceptions all season and a QBR of 62.4 which is in the top echelon of QBs in the league.

The Texans story is all about defence though, ranked 2nd in the NFL in opposition points (17.4/G), first in opposition total yards (277.2/G) and third in takeaways (29).

The strategy is simple, don’t turn the ball over, give it back inside the 20m and get the ball far enough down the field that Ka'imi Fairbairn, who leads the league with 48 FGA and also 44 FGM, can kick a field goal.

Houston Texans Betting Trends

eam Table
Team	Record	ATS	O/U	Away	Home
HOU	12-5-0	9-8-0	6-11-0	5-3-0	7-2-0

Pittsburgh Steelers Form

Who would have thought that the footage of a Steelers priest blessing the endzone would have so much significance after their do or die match against the Ravens, but here we are. The same blessed endzone was right where Ravens rookie kicker missed from 40 out to hand Pittsburgh the AFC North title with a 26-24 victory.

Look, luck was on their side there, however, Mike Tomlin had another winning season as coach of the Steelers, winning 4 of their last 5 matches to sneak in in the final game of the regular season.

Aaron Rodgers has been ok, without being great and the same can be said for the rest of the Pittsburgh team. That being said, they won 10 games and that has to count for something. Do they have enough to win their first playoff game in 9 years, I don’t think so.

Pittsburgh Steelers Betting Trends

am Table
Team	Record	ATS	O/U	Away	Home
PIT	10-7-0	9-8-0	9-8-0	4-4-0	6-3-0

Houston Texans vs Pittsburgh Steelers Frequently Asked Questions

What time does Houston Texans vs Pittsburgh Steelers start?

Kickoff between Houston Texans vs Pittsburgh Steelers is at 12:00 PM AEDT, Tuesday

What channel is Houston Texans vs Pittsburgh Steelers on?

You can watch Houston Texans vs Pittsburgh Steelers on DAZN

Verdict

Ka'imi Fairbairn will kick more than 7.5 points in the match in another low-scoring contest that the Texans come out on top. Jayden Higgins is the value touchdown pick.

Houston Texans

Money Line

$1.64 - 4 Units

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K.Fairbairn Over 7.5

Kicking Points

$1.74 - 2 Units

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Jayden Higgins

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