The look on Aaron Rodgers’ face throughout the night was one of frustration, almost from the opening kickoff. The Pittsburgh Steelers losing 30-6 to the Houston Texans in the AFC wild-card round — their largest playoff loss in franchise history — did nothing to change that expression.
Reality may have begun setting in early for Rodgers, who said at the start of the 2025 season that this year was likely his last. Still, Rodgers left the door open just before the regular-season finale against the Baltimore Ravens.
“Whenever the season ends, I’ll be a free agent, so that will give me a lot of options if I still want to play,” Rodgers said, via Brendan Howe. “There’ll be options, I would think, maybe one or two, if I decide I still want to play.”
Despite Pittsburgh trailing just 7-6 at halftime, the offense sputtered all night against Houston’s No. 2 scoring defense and No. 1-ranked unit in total defense.
Rodgers, in particular, endured a rough outing. He finished 17 of 33 passing for 146 yards, with no touchdowns, one interception and two fumbles.
One of those fumbles was returned for a touchdown by Texans defensive lineman Sheldon Rankins. Rodgers’ interception — potentially the final pass of his NFL career — was returned for a pick-six by safety Calen Bullock.
To make matters worse, if this proves to be Rodgers’ final playoff appearance, it will go down for all the wrong reasons. ESPN’s Joe Buck noted during the broadcast that the six points scored by Pittsburgh marked the fewest points in any of Rodgers’ 22 career playoff games. With the loss, Rodgers’ postseason record fell to 11-11.
Texans Defense Too Much for Aaron Rodgers
Everyone knew Houston’s defense posed a major challenge for Pittsburgh’s inconsistent offense. Even so, the Steelers — and Rodgers — were not prepared for what followed.
The Texans held Pittsburgh to just 153 total yards and 11 first downs. Houston forced three turnovers, turning two of them into touchdowns, both off Rodgers. The defense also sacked Rodgers four times, added 12 quarterback hits and recorded seven tackles for loss.
That was simply too much for the 42-year-old quarterback to overcome — especially one two years removed from an Achilles tear and clearly past his physical prime. Rodgers didn’t stand a chance.
Aaron Rodgers Misses Out on Career Playoff Feat
Despite the disastrous wild-card loss, Rodgers’ playoff résumé remains impressive from his time with the Green Bay Packers.
A Super Bowl champion with Green Bay, Rodgers is tied for ninth all time in playoff wins with Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman, each with 11. Two more wins would have tied him with Ben Roethlisberger and Brett Favre, who finished with 13.
Rodgers also missed out on another postseason milestone. Had he thrown at least two touchdown passes against Houston, he would have surpassed Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs for second place on the NFL’s all-time playoff passing touchdowns list.
Instead, the Steelers failed to score a single touchdown, settling for two field goals from kicker Chris Boswell in what may have been the final chapter of Rodgers’ postseason career.
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