Houston Texans Face 9.5-Win Line as CJ Stroud, Offensive Line Raise 2025 Doubts

Q: After nine years without a playoff win, is the legendary Mike Tomlin finally on the verge of losing his job in Pittsburgh?

No. Mike Tomlin is not on the verge of being fired in Pittsburgh, because he already stepped down after the Steelers’ latest playoff loss. The pressure was real. Pittsburgh’s 30-6 wild-card loss to Houston extended the franchise’s playoff-win drought to nine seasons and its postseason losing streak to seven games. That renewed public and media scrutiny, including questions from Colin Cowherd and criticism from some fans and former players. Tomlin himself acknowledged the frustration and said the Steelers were “falling short” in a consistent way. But the key fact is that this did not end with the Steelers dismissing him. Multiple reports and team statements said Tomlin informed owner Art Rooney II that he had decided to step away after 19 seasons. Rooney said he had been prepared to bring Tomlin back for 2026 and described the decision as Tomlin’s own. Tomlin had signed an extension before the 2024 season that ran through 2027, which underscores that the organization had continued to back him despite the playoff drought. That makes the better framing not whether he was about to lose his job, but whether the playoff failures made his exit more likely. The answer there is yes. Tomlin left with one of the NFL’s strongest regular-season résumés — no losing seasons, a Super Bowl title, multiple AFC titles and division crowns — but his inability to deliver postseason success in recent years had clearly become the defining issue around his tenure.

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Aug 1

Sportsbooks set Houston’s 2025 regular-season win total at 9.5, with the report backing the over despite concerns around CJ Stroud and a shaky offensive line.
12-5 last season gives the case for optimism: the Texans recovered from a 3-5 start in Week 9, won nine straight, and beat Pittsburgh 30-6 in the playoffs before losing 28-16 to New England.
Will Anderson’s extension kept a core defensive piece in place, but Houston largely left its offensive-line problem untouched and instead added running back David Montgomery.
Buffalo and Cincinnati headline a difficult opening stretch, creating early 0-2 risk, though the projection still sees Houston reaching double-digit wins if its defense again carries the team.