Steelers clinch bye in playoffs with win over the Texans

HOUSTON » Ben Roethlisberger threw for 226 yards and two touchdowns, and the Steelers clinched a first-round playoff bye with a 34-6 win over the Texans on Dec 25.

Roethlisberger threw passes to six players as Pittsburgh (12-3) romped over the lowly Texans (4-11) despite missing NFL-leading receiver Antonio Brown, who sat out with a calf injury.

The Steelers led 20-0 at halftime after taking advantage of two turnovers by the Texans. Le’Veon Bell added a 10-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter and rookie JuJu Smith-Schuster made it 34-6 with an 18-yard touchdown grab in the fourth.

Bell finished with 14 carries for 69 yards and Smith Schuster had six receptions for 75 yards.

T.J. Yates was 7-of-16 for 83 yards and a touchdown for the Texans, who lost their fifth straight game and for the eighth time in nine games. Yates made his second straight start since Tom Savage sustained a concussion. Yates left the game briefly to be evaluated for a concussion, and his replacement, Taylor Heinicke, sustained a concussion on his only full possession.

One of the few Texans highlights came on an acrobatic 3-yard touchdown reception by DeAndre Hopkins in the fourth quarter. Hopkins deflected the ball with his right hand, reeled it in with his left and got both feet down before falling out of bounds for his NFL-best 13th touchdown reception.

THE SCORE

STEELERS 34, TEXANS 6 Up next: Pittsburgh hosts the Browns on Dec. 31.