Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers Cruise to Blowout Win vs Texans; Clinch Playoff Bye

The Pittsburgh Steelers clinched a first-round bye in the 2017 playoffs with a dominant 34-6 victory over the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium on Christmas.

The defense led the way Monday evening, totaling seven sacks and creating two turnovers.

Since the Jacksonville Jaguars lost Sunday, Pittsburgh's win clinched at least the No. 2 seed in the AFC. The team has a chance to earn the No. 1 seed with a win over the Cleveland Browns and a New England Patriots loss next week. Houston fell to 4-11 with its fifth straight defeat and its eighth in its last nine games.

The Steelers have played some close games against inferior competition this year, including the Browns and Indianapolis Colts, but that wasn't the case in Week 16.

Jeremy Fowler of ESPN and Scott Kacsmar of Football Outsiders took notice:

Star wide receiver Antonio Brown was out with a calf injury, and Le'Veon Bell shouldered a big load early with 15 first-half touches. He finished with 97 yards from scrimmage and a 10-yard rushing touchdown, via the NFL:

Ben Roethlisberger spread the ball around, targeting seven receivers for 226 passing yards and two touchdowns.

Some lesser-known players also saw the end zone. Justin Hunter had his first receiving TD of the year, while Roosevelt Nix scored a touchdown on his first career rushing attempt.

Still, the defense shone the brightest. It allowed a season-low six points thanks to an aggressive approach. Cornerback Mike Hilton made three sacks on the blitz, while All-Pro candidate Cameron Heyward added two sacks and a forced fumble.

Houston racked up 176 yards on the ground, but its passing attack was downright embarrassing. Deshaun Watson's and Tom Savage's injuries left third-stringer T.J. Yates as the starting quarterback for the second game in a row, and his first-half stats weren't pretty:

He finished with 83 yards on 7-of-16 passing with one touchdown and one interception.

In the third quarter, the Texans needed to turn to 24-year-old quarterback Taylor Heinicke, who made his NFL debut for one drive while Yates was in concussion protocol. Heinicke couldn't do much more, however. The Texans finished with just 51 yards through the air.

Cornerback Artie Burns ruined Houston's best chance for a touchdown in the first half, when he picked off Yates in the end zone on 4th-and-goal: 

The Texans didn't have another promising drive until it was 27-0.

DeAndre Hopkins—in the only bright moment for Houston—made one of the catches of the year on a three-yard touchdown at the beginning of the fourth quarter:

Two of his injured teammates were excited:

Unfortunately, it was too little, too late for a Texans squad that hasn't been able to overcome its numerous losses, including three-time Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt, on both sides of the ball. Their 2017 season will mercifully come to an end with a road game against the Colts next Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium.

The Steelers, meanwhile, may have a chance to relax a bit. With a home matchup against the 0-15 Cleveland Browns, they could likely rest some of their top players and come away with a victory at Heinz Field.