How to watch Houston Texans vs. Pittsburgh Steelers: AFC Wild Card on ESPN, Kickoff Time, StreamEast Alternatives

No. 5 Houston Texans and No. 4 Pittsburgh Steelers end 2026 Super Wild Card Weekend with AFC Wild Card Showdown on Monday, January 12 (12/1/2026) at 8:15 PM ET on ESPN.

CJ Stroud’s Texans turned the tables on the Los Angeles Chargers in the final two weeks of the season with a crucial Week 17 win over the Chargers, followed by a Week 18 victory over the Colts (while LA lost to the Broncos) to reverse their final playoff berth. The Chargers are already coming off a 16-3 win over the No. 2 Patriots, and Monday night’s winner is destined to face the same Patriots team in the divisional round.

Texans vs Steelers will be on ESPN and ABC which you can stream live DIRECTV (Free Trial).

Here’s what you need to know:

What: NFL Playoffs AFC Wild Card

WHO: Houston Texans vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

When: Monday, January 12, 2026

Time: 8:15 PM ET

Where: Acrisure Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

TV: ABC/ESPN

Announcers: Joe Buck, Troy Aikman

Live Streams: fuboTV (free trial), DIRECTV (Free Trial), Sling, Hulu + Live TV, ESPN

DIRECTV is a subscription streaming service that allows you to watch live TV from major broadcast and popular cable networks. Enjoy local and national live sports, breaking news and must-see shows as soon as they air. Included: unlimited DVR cloud storage so you can record as many shows as you want and stream them from anywhere. DTV starts at $89.99 per month after a 5-day free trial.

BET: $200 Bet365 Bonus Code SYRACUSE extended in PA and MO for NFL playoffs

According to DraftKings, the Texans are -155 to win on Monday.

Here’s a recent NFL story via The Associated Press:

HOUSTON (AP) — Houston Texans defensive end Will Anderson Jr. and linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair were connected by football, but it’s a relationship forged by faith.

Anderson, a Christian, and Al-Shaair, a Muslim, did not let religious differences divide them. Instead, they leaned into their shared piety to build a bond through faith that pays dividends on and off the field.

“I’m a Christian through and through, but I also think it’s very important to see how other people … think and feel about certain things,” Anderson said.

Al-Shaair added, “I’m open about my faith and I use my faith and things that I’ve experienced in talking to guys and the same thing with him. So every time we talked, we always beat the same war, like dang, that’s exactly how I feel… so I feel like it just worked out perfectly.”

Before they lead a top-ranked Texans defense into the postseason against the Steelers on Monday nightThese captains find a quiet place away from the chaos of game day where they can chat privately and discuss their faith. Anderson, who was named a first team AP All-Pro on Saturday, and Al-Shaair, the first professional pitcher to lead the team with 103 games, aims to help Houston earn its first playoff victory.

Anderson said Al-Shaair has given him a boost since he arrived in Houston before last season. But those pre-match chats can mean the most.

“I can really say that our pregame talks are really helping me,” Anderson said. “We try not to miss that pre-game talk and that really helps both of us get into that mindset and both really (know) what we’re doing it for, why we’re doing it and everything like that.”

Although there are fundamental differences between their religions, they both have values ​​that feel universal.

“Although Azeez is Muslim and I am Christian, we share many of the same similarities with our faith and our morals and beliefs,” Anderson said. “Talking to Azeez… it’s kind of an analogy, but it also leads back to being a moral person… and having great values, and I think the biggest thing we talk about is how we treat others.

They also share stories about the impact of faith in their lives and confide in each other about personal doubts and concerns related to the physical game they play.

“Just (about) trusting in God, believing in God and knowing that it’s God’s timing and really just being there for each other,” Anderson said. “Whether it’s a story from the Koran or a story from the Bible, it doesn’t really matter because we both share our faith and we both know who we believe in, which is God.”

The pair have become so close that Al-Shaair says she sometimes feels like they are the same person. On the day they were both selected to the Pro Bowl this season, in separate interviews, both players noted that the honor meant more because they shared it and each mentioned their faith-based relationship.

“But that’s how he and I have always been since we met,” Al-Shaair said. “It’s like we’re literally kind of inside each other’s brains.

As a Muslim growing up mostly in Florida, Al-Shaair has had relationships with Christians all his life. The opposite is not true for Anderson, who was raised Baptist in suburban Atlanta.

“Oh no, no, no, I didn’t know any Muslims growing up,” Anderson said with a laugh.

Anderson said he didn’t even meet a Muslim until he worked out with current Titans linebacker Ali Gay in the run-up to the combine. He wasn’t sure why some people were so reticent about those who didn’t share their beliefs, but he found it clear.

Al-Shaair appreciates that Anderson worked to understand his religion, especially as he encountered many people throughout his life who did not try to do so.

“That was the best thing,” he said. “When you talk about faith, it’s almost funny because I tell people there’s a lot of Muslims who know a lot about the Bible and not really a lot of Christians who know anything about Islam other than all the Islamophobic … propaganda stuff and stuff like that. People don’t really understand that.”

Although he had many relationships with Christians before developing the one with Anderson, he believes their religious discussions enriched his faith.

“It’s actually encouraged in Islam to learn about other religions, other faiths, so it should strengthen your faith in your own, where I feel like that’s not always the case,” Al-Shaair said. “It was a great part with me and him that we were able to kind of stick together and bounce off the knowledge of both faiths. It was very transparent and open. We both learned a lot from each other because of it.”

They have been there for each other even through the tough times, especially last season when Al-Shaair was suspended for three matches for a foul on Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Following the hit, Al-Shaair dealt with racist and Islamophobic online abuse that, along with the suspension, put him in what he called “a really dark place.”

Anderson witnessed Al-Shaair lean heavily on his faith during that time, and reveals just how much things have changed for his friend since that difficult chapter.

“In religion and faith and everything like that, it always comes with pain and suffering,” Anderson said. “And that’s when I say God literally gets the last word because the world can persecute you, the world can say all these things about you and look where God has brought it this year.”

Along with being named to his first Pro Bowl and leading the team in tackles, Al-Shaair was named Houston’s Walter Payton, Man of the Year Award winner this season. He almost can’t believe how far he’s come since last season, when he wasn’t sure he’d ever play football again. He owes the turnaround to his faith.

“It was the No. 1 thing why I was able to get over the hump and go through all the adversity and still be able to come out on the other side,” he said. “Not just coming out on the other side, but thriving. I’m better now than I was before all those things even happened, and I think that’s the biggest blessing.”

And at a time of increased division in this country, these 20-year-old footballers wish more people could see things the way they do.

“If you just have compassion and you’re able to not be so trapped in your own head and in your own thinking, and … you just open your heart, you realize, like, wow OK, that makes sense, we’re a lot more alike than we are different,” Al-Shaair said. “And everything is so much better for everyone.