The highs and lows of the Steelers regular season Week 16 game at the Houston Texans.
4:30 p.m. ET - Kickoff
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4:39 p.m. ET - What went right:** What started so wonderfully ended in the kind of disappointment that accompanies a red zone field goal. After receiving the opening kickoff, the Steelers marched 59 yards in eight plays to take a 3-0 lead on a 34-yard Chris Boswell field goal. But the first four of those eight plays yielded chunks of yardage. A quick pass to Martavis Bryant gained 12 yards because Al Villanueva pulled out and got a block on cornerback Kareem Jackson; and then the second and third plays were passes to Vance McDonald that gained 14 and 20 yards, respectively; and then Le'Veon Bell followed by ripping off an 11-yard run. But then a couple of Bell runs gained 2 yards total, and Ben Roethlisberger threw incomplete to Eli Rogers to force the field goal.
4:44 p.m. ET - What went right: The Steelers defense recorded a three-and-out on Houston's first possession, with the big play being a third-down sack of T.J. Yates by Mike Hilton. After Shane Lechler's punt out of the end zone that was fair-caught by Eli Rogers, the offense's second possession began at its own 46-yard line.
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4:50 p.m. ET - What went right:** The offense finished the job on their second possession with a 5-yard touchdown pass to Justin Hunter that capped a five-play 56-yard drive. The big play was a 36-yard pass from Ben Roethlisberger to Martavis Bryant deep down the right sideline that converted a third-and-3 and gave the Steelers a first down at the Houston 11-yard line. The Steelers led, 10-0 with 6:59 left in the first quarter.
5:11 p.m. ET - End of 1st Quarter: Steelers 10, Texans 0
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5:21 p.m. ET - What went right:** The Texans are out of the playoff hunt, and they were playing like a team with nothing to lose. Using two extra offensive linemen, the Texans gained 75 yards on four running plays, and then the drive eventually stalled inside the 1-yard line. On fourth down, the Texans eschewed a field goal attempt, but T.J. Yates' pass in the back of the end zone was intercepted by Artie Burns.
5:35 p.m. ET - What went right: The Steelers extended their lead to 17-0 with an 11-play, 80-yard drive
that ate up 6:07 on the game clock and ended with a 1-yard touchdown run by Rosie Nix. On the drive, Ben Roethlisberger converted a third-and-6 with a 7-yard pass to Le'Veon Bell and a third-and-2 with a 12-yard pass to Martavis Bryant. On both of those conversions, the receiver caught the ball short of the marker but made the extra effort on the run-after to get the necessary yardage. There was 4:14 left in the first half.
5:39 p.m. ET - What went right: Three plays after taking that 17-0 lead, Cam Heyward carried out a sack-strip of T.J. Yates on a third-and-5 from the Houston 30-yard line, and Bud Dupree's recovery gave the Steelers the ball at the Texans 28-yard line with 2:45 remaining in the first half.
5:51 p.m. ET - What went right: The Steelers were forced to settle for a second red zone field goal following the defense's second takeaway of the first half. Starting at the Houston 28-yard line, the Steelers managed one first down, but then they lost 2 yards over the next three plays and Chris Boswell's 36-yard field goal extended the lead to 20-0.
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Game action photos from the Pittsburgh Steelers' Week 16 game against the Houston Texans
5:57 p.m. ET - What went right:** Over the course of the first half, the Steelers' defense allowed 120 yards rushing on 14 attempts (8.6 average), but the statistics recorded were generally positive. T.J. Yates completed 2-of-7 passes for 8 yards, with no touchdowns, one interception, and a rating of 0.0. Cam Heyward had two sacks and forced a fumble; Mike Hilton had two sacks; and Artie Burns had an interception. The Texans finished the half with four first downs, converted 2-of-7 on third downs, and had the ball for only 12 of the first 30 minutes.
5:58 p.m. ET - Halftime: Steelers 20, Texans 0
6:17 p.m. ET - What went right: On the first possession of the second half, Mike Hilton sacked Taylor Heinicke, which was his third sack of the game. Hilton became the first defensive back to record three sacks in a game since Troy Polamalu did it in 2005.
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6:40 p.m. ET - What went right:** A seven-play, 42-yard drive that ended with a 10-yard touchdown run by Le'Veon Bell upped the Steelers lead to 27-0 with 1:48 remaining in the third quarter. On a third-and-7, Jadeveon Clowney sacked Ben Roethlisberger, but in the process he grabbed the facemask, and so the Steelers ended up with a first down at the Houston 10-yard line.
6:45 p.m. ET - End of 3rd Quarter: Steelers 27, Texans 0
7:29 p.m. ET - Final Score: Steelers 34, Texans 6
