If you want proof as to why the Houston Texans can win a Super Bowl this season, look no further than what their defence did to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday night.
The top-ranked Texans' defence completely smothered Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers en route to a 30-6 victory in the wild-card finale.
Against a future first-ballot Hall of Fame QB, it was utter domination from the first snap.
The six points that the Steelers finished with were the lowest of any of the 22 playoff starts that Rodgers has made in his storied career.
It was such a remarkable performance that the Texans would've won the game even if their offence didn't score a single point. Houston scored two defensive TDs, one on a strip-sack fumble recovery and one on a pick-six in what possibly was the last throw of Rodgers' career.
Per NFL research, Houston's defence is just the second unit in NFL history to score multiple defensive touchdowns while also holding the opposing offence to zero TDs in a playoff game, joining the 1940 Chicago Bears.
Even without the defensive scores, the final stats were truly staggering.
Houston's defence finished with four sacks, gave up just 175 yards of total offence and held the Steelers to just 2-of-14 on third-down conversions.
They can get pressure with four rushers, they don't miss tackles and have stars at all three levels of the field. It's impossible to find a weakness for this team on the defensive side of the ball.
In fact, the Steelers' six points in the game probably wouldn't have happened if not for some ill-advised turnovers from the Texans' offence.
On the back of its defence, Houston has not lost a football game since Nov. 2. Monday's victory was the Texans' 10th in a row and was also the first road playoff win in franchise history.
The competition is only going to get stiffer, starting with Drake Maye and the New England Patriots next weekend, but with this defence, there is no team Houston can't beat.
What's next for Steelers after playoff futility continues under Tomlin?
For a head coach who has 19 consecutive non-losing campaigns, the post-season has not been kind to Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin.
Monday's defeat was the Steelers' seventh consecutive playoff loss under Tomlin, with their last win coming back in the 2016 season.
To add to the misery, the Steelers also became the first team in NFL history to lose five consecutive playoff games by double digits after the 24-point drubbing they were handed by the Texans.
For what it's worth, this Steelers team had its issues all season.
They were booed off their home field in a Week 13 loss to the Buffalo Bills, and blew a chance to clinch the AFC North in Week 17 with a loss to the 3-12 Cleveland Browns.
The Steelers even needed a 44-yard missed field goal by Baltimore Ravens rookie kicker Tyler Loop on the final play of the NFL regular-season just to make the playoffs.
So maybe expecting them to compete against a team like the Texans was unrealistic.
But then it bears asking, where do they go from here?
The Steelers don't typically fire coaches, but with patience growing thin in the Steel City, is it time for Tomlin and the organization to part ways after 19 seasons?
And what about Rodgers? The 42-year-old quarterback has been noncommittal all season about returning for another year.
After Monday's loss, Rodgers said that he wasn't "going to make any emotional decisions" regarding his future.
Will throwing a pick-six on his final pass on Monday motivate him to run it back with the black-and-gold at least one more time?
There are plenty of options on the table for the Steelers, but in a lot of ways, it certainly feels like the right time for this storied franchise to start fresh with both a new coach and quarterback.
Texans need more from Stroud moving forward
For a team that had the second-fewest turnovers in the regular-season, it was an unusual performance from the Texans' offence on Monday.
And a large part of the blame falls on third-year quarterback C.J. Stroud.
Stroud finished with three turnovers on Monday, which included the first two fumbles he's lost all season.
Despite picking up his third playoff win in three seasons, he was uncharacteristically shaky, particularly in the first half. Stroud missed wide-open receivers and had a number of issues with even catching the snap.
Did it matter much in the result of the game? No, not with the way the Texans' defence played.
But this Houston team should have much higher goals than just winning a wild-card game, and the matchups are only going to get tougher.
Give three turnovers to Maye and the Patriots, or Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills, and they will make you pay much more than the Steelers could on Monday.
The term "game manager" is often used to undermine the skills of starting quarterbacks around the league. But for Stroud, that's exactly what he needs to be for this team to succeed.
Don't turn the ball over, make a couple of big plays each game and put his defence in position to win.
Because more often than not, the Texans' D will get the job done. They proved that on Monday night.
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