The Pittsburgh Steelers' playoff loss to the Houston Texans in January was decisive enough that Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers spent the final 2 minutes and 39 seconds on the bench, comprehensive enough that the visiting Texans turned the ball over three times — and still recorded the biggest margin of victory in the postseason's opening weekend.

"I don't feel like we ever got the momentum on our side, honestly," Rodgers said after the [30-6 defeat](https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6965305/2026/01/13/mike-tomlin-pittsburgh-steelers-playoff-drought/). "We had a lot of chances … a lot of opportunities. Didn't make the most out of hardly any of them."

Unsaid at the time: Rodgers had been so sick before the game that teammates and coaches had expressed hope he could mimic Michael Jordan's iconic ["Flu Game"](https://www.nytimes.com/1997/06/12/sports/an-ailing-jordan-is-just-the-cure.html) in the 1997 NBA Finals.

Though few people beyond the Steelers' sideline knew it, the 42-year-old quarterback had been felled by flu-like symptoms in the hours leading up to the game, making [the experience](https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6965435/2026/01/13/aaron-rodgers-steelers-texans-retirement/) even more miserable.

Free to Read: Aaron Rodgers’ illness before playoff loss to Texans had Steelers hoping for a ‘Flu Game’