Not So Perfect
Alex Highsmith and Payton Wilson harassed CJ Stroud all afternoon, tallying 2.5 sacks each as the Texans QB struggled to match the scoring output by the Steelers.
ScoringSummary
| Team | Q | Time | Play | Pittsburgh | Houston |
 | 1st | 6:18 | DK Metcalf, 5 Yd Pass From Anthony Richardson | 7 | 0 |
| 1st | 3:48 | Keaton Mitchell, 50 Yd Run | 14 | 0 |
| 2nd | 9:12 | Anthony Richardson, 8 Yd Run | 21 | 0 |
 | 2nd | 7:48 | Joe Mixon, 58 Yd Run | 21 | 7 |
| 2nd | 6:26 | Quinshon Judkins, 9 Yd Run | 28 | 7 |
| 2nd | 2:12 | Jaylin Noel, 27 Yd Pass From CJ Stroud | 28 | 14 |
| 2nd | 0:01 | Wil Lutz, 50 Yd FG | 28 | 17 |
| 3rd | 8:41 | Quinshon Judkins, 1 Yd Run | 35 | 17 |
| 3rd | 8:26 | Tank Dell, 71 Yd Pass From CJ Stroud | 35 | 24 |
| 3rd | 4:37 | Brandon Aubrey, 35 Yd FG | 38 | 24 |
| 4th | 2:44 | DK Metcalf, 44 Yd Pass From Anthony Richardson | 45 | 24 |
| 4th | 1:49 | Nico Collins, 23 Yd Pass From CJ Stroud | 45 | 31 |
Houston, TX. - The surviving members of the '72 Miami Dolphins can officially pop the champagne, the last unbeaten has fallen after the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Houston Texans 45-31 at NRG Stadium to punch their ticket to a second consecutive Super Bowl appearance. And despite a few big plays by the Texans, it was never in doubt.
The Steelers jumped out to a 21-0 lead on the Houston Texans, who looked out of their depth from the beginning. While Quinshon Judkins and Anthony Richardson led a trio of methodical drives down the field, CJ Stroud struggled to stay upright as the Steelers sacked him three times and forced a fumble on the first three drives for the Texans.
While the Texans refused to back down, utilizing big plays to keep chipping away at the Steelers lead, including a 58-yard run by Joe Mixon in the 2nd quarter and a 71-yard catch-and-run by Tank Dell in the 3rd, it was never enough to pull within striking distance as the Steelers maintained at least a two-score lead throughout the contest.
A fumble by Joe Mixon late in the 3rd-quarter, trailing 35-24, set up Brandon Aubrey's 35-yard field goal and a second fumble by CJ Stroud, on his fifth sack of the contest, was followed up by a 44-yard dagger to DK Metcalf to push the lead to 45-24 with just under three minutes to play.
"They'd been hanging around, getting enough big plays to keep it close," rationalized Mike Tomlin after the game, clinching his fourth trip to the Super Bowl in his career, "So I told Ant to end it. I didn't want to leave enough room for them to get wild at the end, and he did just that with a perfect lob to DK."
While Richardson's stat line doesn't jump off the page, going 15/22 for 228 yards and 2 touchdowns with another 50 on the ground and a rushing touchdown, it shows a quarterback who was always in control behind a dominant outing by halfback Quinshon Judkins—25 attempts for 141 yards and two touchdowns—and a defense that kept forcing big plays despite giving up a few of their own.
To their credit, the Texans refused to quit fighting as Nico Collins hauled in a 23-yard touchdown just under the two-minute warning, but a failed onside attempt ended any hopes of a comeback. After the game, Texass HC DeMeco Ryans refused to blame a weak schedule on his team's success.
"We don't pick our schedule, we just play who is in front of us. Is it true this team is probably the best we played this year? Sure, but you should expect that with a Super Bowl on the line. This loss is humbling, but it doesn't take away that we won 18 straight games this season, a feat only one other team has done."
The questions about Houston's schedule were answered definitively. Against their first truly elite opponent, the Texans had no answer for Anthony Richardson and the Steelers' high-powered attack.
While Ryans' statement about his team's impressive winning steak rings true, the fact remains that his team's season ended the same as the last team with an undefeated regular season. Without a Super Bowl.
The Pittsburgh Steelers will now prepare to face their in-state rival, the Philadelphia Eagles, for Super Bowl LXII in two weeks' time as Mike Tomlin searches for his 3rd Super Bowl title while seeking to become the first repeat champion since the Kansas City Chiefs in 2023 & 2024.
Anthony Richardson | 15/22, 228 Yds, 2 TD; 5 Att, 50 Yds, TD
CJ Stroud | 20/29, 351 Yds, 3 TD; 1 Att, 3 Yds, 2 FMB
Quinshon Judkins | 25 Att, 141 Yds, 2 TD
Joe Mixon | 11 Att, 64 Yds, TD
DK Metcalf | 5 Rec, 129 Yds, 2 TD
Tank Dell | 8 Rec, 143 Yds, TD
EDGE Alex Highsmith | 5 Tkl, 4 TFL, 2.5 Sacks
LB Payton Wilson | 11 Tkl, 4 TFL, 2.5 Sacks
MLB Patrick Queen | 6 Tkl, TFL
EDGE Danielle Hunter | 8 Tkl, 5 TFL, 1.5 Sacks
DT Ed Oliver | 7 Tkl, 2 TFL, 0.5 Sack
DT Peter Woods | Tkl, TFL, Sack
Conference Championship Results
28 Philadelphia Eagles @ Los Angeles Rams 21
