Steelers will have star wideout DK Metcalf back for playoff encounter with Texans after serving 2-game suspension

The AFC Wild Card round of the 2026 NFL Playoffs should be far more interesting than the NFC side. Everyone is banged up in the NFC, or underperforming, or - let's be honest - sort of dry when Chicago isn't making a wild comeback or the Rams aren't cranking up the offense.

The Texans officially secured the No. 5 seed in the AFC playoffs. As the highest-seeded among wild card teams, Houston will take on the lowest-ranked division winner.

Wild Card Weekend will kick off in North Carolina and end in Pittsburgh. The NFL on Sunday night announced the schedule for the opening round of the playoffs, which begins with the NFC's fourth-seeded Carolina Panthers hosting the No. 5 Los Angeles Rams on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET on FOX.

The winner of Sunday night’s Steelers-Ravens game will host the Houston Texans next Monday night in the AFC Wild Card […] This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: NFL Reveals Potential Steele

PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - AUGUST 09: Jaylen Warren #30 of the Pittsburgh Steelers carries the ball in the first quarter during the preseason game against the Houston Texans at Acrisure Stadium on August 9, 2024 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)

Denver will get the first-round bye while New England and Jacksonville play on Wild Card Weekend — and neither has an easy matchup. Chargers vs. Patriots will feature two of the NFL’s best young quarterbacks with Drake Maye and Justin Herbert facing off. The Jaguars drew the shortest straw and will have to host Josh Allen.

The NFL released the wild-card weekend schedule for the opening round of the playoffs. Here are the winners and losers of the scheduling spots.

On a nine-game win streak, are the Texans among the top five teams in the NFL entering Monday evening's bout against the Steelers?