The Houston Texans made sure to send Aaron Rodgers into the sunset with a bitter taste in his mouth. The Texans’ defense was all over Rodgers, and former USC Trojan Calen Bullock intercepted Rodgers’ late-game pass for a pick-six as a final stamp on Houston’s emphatic win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. It was a dominant showing on both sides of the ball from former Trojans, as Woody Marks also had his best game on the ground.
There was not much the Steelers could get done with how good the Texans’ defense was. Until the fourth quarter, the Steelers’ defense was just as good, but then the Texans’ defense separated itself late in this game with two defensive touchdowns. Aaron Rodgers was sacked four times in this game, and the Steelers’ run game was held to just 63 yards. The Texans might have the best defense left in the playoffs, and boy did they make a statement.
Calen Bullock, in his third playoff game, put the stamp on this game and potentially the stamp on Aaron Rodgers’ career. Bullock had been a ball magnet so far to start his career, but he got the biggest interception of his career last night and also his first in the playoffs. Bullock also had 3 stops and a pass deflection to add even more to his impressive night. The Texans’ defense is elite at just about every level, and they have zero weakness on that unit. It is great to see their secondary features a former Trojan, and he is making a big impact on their great defensive success.
On the offensive side of the ball, it was a struggle for the Houston Texans. Very uncharacteristically, C.J. Stroud kept giving the ball back to the Steelers as he had five fumbles, and two of them were lost. He also had an interception, giving him three total turnovers on the day. Still within that, he was able to find Christian Kirk a heavy amount. Kirk hauled in 8b catches for 144 yards and a touchdown. With Nico Collins now dealing with a concussion, the depth of this receiver room will be tested this week. Kirk will have to have another performance just like this.
The Texans could also use another big day from rookie Woody Marks. Mark’s this season has been a consistent 60 yards a game back, but in the biggest game of his NFL career, he showed out. Marks had a career high of 112 yards rushing and an impressive 5.9 yards per carry average. His performance really made the difference for the Texans, and it helped them stay afloat offensively. With a game like this to follow up an impressive rookie season, Marks might have the starting running back position next season.
The Texans have been a star-studded team all season long, with many great defensive players and enough firepower on offense to hang with any team. Against the Steelers, two former Trojans made the difference. Woody Marks dominated on the ground, and Calen Bullock put the cherry on top of this game. Both players will be looked at to carry on this performance to the next game and could very well be big reasons why the Texans go on a deep playoff run this postseason.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Two former Trojans show up big in Houston Texans’ wild card win
Reporting by Micah Huff, Trojans Wire / Trojans Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
