Nov 9, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin and quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) walk off the field after the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

All of Steelers Questions Finally Get Answered

Originally posted on Pittsburgh Steelers on SI
By Noah Strackbein | Last updated Jan 12, 2026 7:48 AM ET

It's here. The Pittsburgh Steelers are taking on the Houston Texans in the Wild Card round of the playoffs, looking for an opportunity to travel to New England next week and get a shot at the Patriots in the Divisional round.

The Steelers knew this is where they were going to end up this season. The team knew they'd have a winning record, would have a quarterback they believed in heading into the postseason and a defense that was clicking - and carrying them at times - late in the year.

All of it came true, even if the road was a little more bumpy than they expcted it to be. And now, with each game having a chance to be their last, their questions finally get answered.

Throughout the Wild Card round weekend, the talk about the Steelers was centered around Aaron Rodgers and his potential return. The Steelers would love to have Rodgers back in the building for 2026, but that's before their matchup with Houston.

This game is what really decides that future.

All of the Questions Get Answered Tonight

Welcome to the playoffs, where another blowout loss in the Wild Card round brings back all of the conversation about keeping Mike Tomlin, Aaron Rodgers and the rest of the team. This season seemed like a breaking point at times, only for Pittsburgh to climb their way back into the postseason, and look like a real contender heading into the first round.

If they win, they've done something they haven't done in eight years. All of the conversation about this season being a failure goes away, and there's real excitement about next year - even if they only win one playoff game.

If they lose, the fire Tomlin conversation begins again. No one is thrilled about running it back with a 43-year-old quarterback who couldn't win a playoff game, and the mood heading into the offseason isn't excitement - it's anger.

Peter Casey-Imagn Images

Who are the Steelers? We're all going to find out together.

If this team is the contender they prepared themselves to be all year, then they're a team to ride with. A group of players and coaches that may have finally gotten over the hump and found their bridge quarterback who can keep them - or make them - contenders.

Or, it's going to be a year of the complete rebuild. An offseason where everyone is pushing Pittsburgh to find a new quarterback, a new head coach, and new key pieces. The end of an era, at least from an outside perspective.

Everything will be learned at Acrisure Stadium in the final game of the Wild Card round. A moment the Steelers have been preparing for since the spring.

This article first appeared on Pittsburgh Steelers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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