HOUSTON -- It would have been easy to mail this one in. But while the post office, FedEx and UPS don't deliver on Christmas Day, apparently the Steelers do, pummeling the hapless Texans, 34-6, clinching a first-round bye in the AFC playoffs along the way.
Much as they did in 2016, when they clinched the AFC North title with a win over the Ravens on Christmas, the Steelers (12-3) figured if they were going to play on the holiday, they might as well make the most of it.
"Yeah," Pro Bowl guard David DeCastro told me. "You fly three hours all this way, might as well go out and win."
And you might as well go out and do it in impressive fashion.
The Steelers sacked Houston quarterbacks seven times in the game -- including a career-high three from nickel corner Mike Hilton -- knocking starter T.J. Yates and backup Taylor Heinicke out of the game with possible concussions. Yates eventually returned to the game.
But it didn't matter who the Texans (4-11) had in there. They weren't a match for a team that was still ticked off about seeing its 8-game winning streak ended last week, 27-24, in an emotional loss at home to New England that could end up costing the Steelers home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs.
Even with Jacksonville losing Saturday and leaving the Steelers with the need to win just one of their two remaining games for a first-round bye -- they host the winless Browns next week -- they weren't going to coast through this game. This team kept its eye on the prize.
"I just think we’re a mature team," Pro Bowl center Maurkice Pouncey told DKPittsburghSports.com. "The coaching staff does a good job of keeping us focused on just football. You can tell that. We’ve got a great group of guys. We enjoy playing football and that’s what it’s all about. "The things this team has been through last year and this year, we’re not even thinking about that. We’re trying to win football games and ball out."
They certainly did in this game.
Even with Antonio Brown sitting this one out with a calf injury, Ben Roethlisberger threw for 226 yards and two touchdowns, one each to JuJu Smith-Schuster and Justin Hunter. And Le'Veon Bell, who had 69 yards on just 14 rushing attempts, and fullback Roosevelt Nix both scored rushing touchdowns.
Houston, meanwhile, couldn't overcome mistakes. While the Texans did rush for 176 yards, Yates and Heinicke couldn't get out of their own way -- or the Steelers' pass rush. The Steelers had four sacks in the first half and Yates was just 2 of 7 for 8 yards in the first two quarters. With the negative yardage from the sacks, the Texans didn't get onto the plus side of passing yards until late in the third quarter.
By then, the Steelers had already built a 27-0 lead. Getting the bye week was never in doubt.
"It's nice for all of the guys who are banged up, AB especially, and any of us who have little nicks, bumps and bruises," said Roethlisberger, who was pulled along with Bell, Pouncey and left tackle Alejandro Villanueva midway through the fourth quarter. "To get that time really helps."
And now, they might have a little bit of history on their side. The last two times the Steelers had a first-round bye in the playoffs, they earned trips to the Super Bowl after the 2008 and 2010 seasons.
"It’s been a while. It would be nice to get back there," Roethlisberger said. "There’s a lot of guys on this team that deserve the opportunity to play in that game. It’s not going to be handed to us. It’s not going to be given. We’ve got a long way to go. But you prepare and get ready for it, as Coach (Mike) Tomlin calls it, the single-elimination tournament."
LOLLEY'S TEN THOUGHTS
• Joe Haden was back for the first time in six weeks and didn't miss a beat. Not that he was given a chance to miss a beat.
Haden was tasked with covering Houston receiver DeAndre Hopkins -- all over the field. The thinking was that Haden would be better-suited to play against Hopkins, one of the most physical receivers in the NFL, than Artie Burns, who can get grabby at times.
Hopkins likes that style of play. That also gave Burns a chance to match up with speedy William Fuller.
"He did a great job," said Tomlin of Haden's play. "That's one of the reasons we were really excited about acquiring Joe Haden, because he is capable of doing those things."
"Those things" would be holding Hopkins without a catch on two targets in the first half. Hopkins finished with four receptions for 65 yards on six targets and this ridiculous touchdown:
But, Hopkins just as easily could have been called for offensive pass interference on the play. And Haden still battled him, forcing him to make a circus catch.
Not bad for a guy who suffered a fractured fibula six weeks ago.
"He messed up my day in the second half, so it could have been better," Haden said. "But we got the W. He had six points, so that wasn’t too bad."
Not too bad, indeed. Haden's return, along with that of right tackle Marcus Gilbert and tight end Vance McDonald, were three big ones for the Steelers and could be the difference for this team in the playoffs.
• McDonald just has so much more athleticism than Jesse James at the tight end position. He's not Heath Miller. But he's the closest thing the Steelers have had to Miller in his prime circa 2012.
He's also been banged up quite a bit this season, missing a total of seven games with ankle and shoulder injuries. You could see, however, the Steelers wanted to get him involved early and often in this one, offering Roethlisberger another toy to put on display for future opponents.
"It was fun getting him back in the flow early," Roethlisberger said. "He felt it. He got himself going. Probably there was more there, but he’s kind of coming back, so we’ve got to ease him back in, in a way."
McDonald finished with four receptions for 54 yards, all of which came in the first quarter. James, meanwhile, got one target on a corner route in the end zone. He couldn't come down with the ball.
He had some drop issues early on for the Steelers, but has settled in and could make this team very difficult to defend when he's on the field after Brown returns.
• All of the teeth-gnashing over reports that Brown might not be ready to play in the Wild Card round of the playoffs were wasted energy. There was no chance the Steelers weren't going to wrap up the bye. And even if they hadn't, there is no chance Brown wasn't going to be on the field if the Steelers played.
After all, this is what he was posting on his Twitter feed:
To all my teammates i am doing my best to get back and join the group I miss you guys @steelers travel like the world champions you are today ! Happy Holidays see ya soon 1-0 this week ! #callgod #Firststepin7days #Boomin @moveu_official pic.twitter.com/nnc2YbI0Lf
— Antonio Brown (@AB84) December 24, 2017
• Did Roethlisberger get touched in this game? OK, he did once, officially. And a second time for which the Texans were penalized for grabbing his facemask.
But Villanueva owned Jadeveon Clowney in this one. Some have questioned whether Villanueva deserved to be voted to the Pro Bowl. It's a fair question. But look around the rest of the AFC and tell me who is decidedly better at left tackle who also happens to still be playing.
Villanueva seemed to take this challenge personally, even if all he'd say to the subject was, "I'm just glad we won. It's a good win for all of us."
• Some are already calling Hopkins' touchdown catch one of the greatest in NFL history.
It was a nice catch. But I can think of at least five made by Brown that are better -- just off the top of my head.
• Cam Heyward had two sacks in this game, bringing his season total to 12. That matches Keith Willis' total from 1986, which was the last time a Pittsburgh defensive lineman had a dozen sacks in a season. Willis' team record of 14 for a defensive lineman, set in 1983 -- the second year sacks became an official stat -- is within reach with the Browns coming to town next week.
Heyward, who wasn't picked for the Pro Bowl team earlier in the week, is now tied for fifth in the league in sacks, something unheard of for a Steelers defensive lineman.
Heyward is loving life right now after having an injury-plagued season in 2016, missing a game -- and the playoffs -- for the first time in his career.
"All of the above," he said when asked if he was using those things as motivation. "Just keep stirring the pot. (It) doesn't matter what it is, I'm going to find some motivation. Whether it's the Pro Bowl snub, clinching a bye. We still have AFC North football to play, playoffs. If you're not motivated at this time, you're in the wrong sport."
Heyward isn't just the leader of the defense. He's perhaps the leader of this team. If anyone was thinking about taking the day off Sunday, he would have to deal with Heyward.
• The Steelers were 7 of 12 on third downs in this game and are now 29 of 46 on third downs in their past three games. And they have played the past seven quarters without Brown, Roethlisberger's favorite target on third down.
I'm no math whiz, but that works out to a 63.0 percent conversion rate on third downs. That's pretty good.
• The Steelers did everything they needed to in this game, including not overworking Bell. He had 19 touches for 97 yards -- 69 rushing and 28 receiving. And he gave way to newly-signed Stevan Ridley on a regular basis.
Ridley finished with nine carries for 28 yards in his first action as a member of the Steelers. He's not Bell, but he can at least be a facsimile of James Conner, the guy he's replacing.
"I'm just trying to better myself each and every day and knock the rust off," said Ridley, who hadn't played at all this season, "and come in here and just find a role, whatever this team may need."
The Steelers need more of what Ridley did in this game next week. And then, if they're fortunate, they won't need to use him again the rest of the season.
Bell, by the way, now has 85 catches, breaking his own team record for running backs of 83 set in 2014.
• Should the Steelers be concerned with their run defense? Sure.
You don't like to give up 176 rushing yards to a team that is completely one-dimensional. At the same time, they allowed six points. And even if the Texans decide to run the ball on third and fourth down from the 1 in the second quarter, this game is a blowout.
They're not going to be playing Yates and Heinicke in the playoffs. Or Deshone Kizer or whoever else the Browns run out there next weekend.
• Nix scored a touchdown on his first career carry in the second quarter, much to the chagrin of fantasy football players everywhere.
But there was nobody unhappy about that in the Steelers' locker room. Nobody.
MATT SUNDAY GALLERY
Steelers vs. Texans, NRG Stadium, Houston, Dec. 25, 2017. - MATT SUNDAY / DKPS