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NFL Wild Card playoffs: Pittsburgh Steelers HC Mike Tomlin reveals biggest concern vs Houston Texans
It's no secret that the Houston Texans, riding nine consecutive wins into tonight's Wild Card playoff game vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers, are arguably the hottest team in the league right now.
But what has made Houston so dominant down the stretch, and what must the Steelers overcome if they are to book their place in the Divisional Round against the New England Patriots?
There's no better person to answer that question than Pittsburgh’s Mike Tomlin, the longest-tenured head coach in the league. Read on to hear what he says makes the Texans a “formidable" challenge.
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“Will Anderson and [Danielle] Hunter are simply the most dynamic edge rush tandem in the National Football League in 2025,” Tomlin stated when speaking to the media.
“They got 27 sacks between them. I think it’s 12 for Anderson, 15 for Hunter. They’re a formidable group. You can talk about the things that you need to do schematically to minimise them and all that. It’s nothing that they haven’t seen,” he added.
Tomlin clearly has a point. The Texans rank seventh among all teams in sacks, with Hunter and Anderson placing third and eighth on the individual list.
Those same two players have combined for six forced fumbles in 2025, and Tomlin is clearly aware of how that could have a bearing on the all-important turnover battle.
“They’re number three with 27 takeaways on defense,” he continued. “They got a defense that’s third-best... And I think that’s the building blocks of nine consecutive wins.”
On paper, the Steelers are well-equipped to protect Aaron Rodgers, having allowed only 31 sacks this season, ranking ninth among all teams.
However, when nearly half of the pressure Aaron Rodgers has faced (44.5%) has been allowed via his offensive tackles, it underscores why Tomlin is so wary of Anderson and Hunter.
One of the main culprits has been Pittsburgh’s left tackle and former first-round pick, Broderick Jones. On the other side of the line, however, former undrafted free agent Dylan Cook offers reason for optimism, having surrendered just six pressures in five games.
Expect one or both blockers to receive plenty of help from their teammates later tonight, with chip blocks and double-team assignments forming part of the Steelers' approach.
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While Tomlin knows that game-planning for Houston’s fearsome edge duo is nothing new for their opponents, that doesn’t mean he is ignoring it either.
“We better stay out of a bunch of one-dimensional passing circumstances, because if we’re in those circumstances, we’re gonna be in trouble,” he admitted.
Hunter has a history with Rodgers, having played him 12 times, most of which came during his time with the Minnesota Vikings, when Rodgers played for the Green Bay Packers in the same division.
In those 12 games, Hunter has sacked Rodgers 6.5 times. The veteran edge rusher, who sits 37th on the all-time sack list, has been giving advice to his teammate, Anderson, on how to face the challenge of facing the four-time former MVP quarterback.
Whether Hunter’s advice helps Anderson succeed tonight could tip the balance in what promises to be a titanic showdown between the two sides.
