Regardless of where their postseason goes from here, the Houston Texans have already made history.
While the 2025 campaign marks the ninth time the franchise has made the playoffs since its inception in 2002, its fans are going to have to adjust their plans. After all, in each of the Texans’ first eight postseason appearances, they have played in the early-Saturday afternoon game — a less-than-glamorous television slot that longtime Bill Simmons listeners have affectionately referred to as “the Shakey’s Game.”
As such, it would make sense for the Houston faithful to expect that their team would once again play in the NFL’s postseason opener this Saturday. But lo and behold, the Texans didn’t just avoid another Shakey’s Game; the NFL Wild Card weekend schedule revealed that their first-round matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers will actually be played on Monday Night Football.
There was nobody more surprised about the date of Houston’s playoff matchup than the Texans themselves. Taking to X, the team’s official account posted a meme of a cartoon character spitting out his cereal in shock, along with the caption “when we saw we weren’t playing Saturday at 3:30 CT for a Wild Card weekend” in all caps.
“There’s a first time for everything,” the post reads, along with with an eyeballs emoji.
There’s a first time for everything 👀 https://t.co/6AyLXiljuG pic.twitter.com/PzBXv6hhZU
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) January 5, 2026
As for which teams will be playing in this year’s postseason opener, that honor will belong to the matchup between the Carolina Panthers and Los Angeles Rams, a game that also happens to possess the Wild Card weekend’s largest point spread (Rams -10.5). As Simmons noted on X, “nothing screams Shakey’s Game like an 8-9 home playoff team,” in reference to the Panthers qualifying for the playoffs by way of their status as the NFC South champion.
Considering that this marks the third consecutive season in which Houston has made the playoffs since hiring head coach DeMeco Ryans and drafting quarterback C.J. Stroud, it was likely only a matter of time until it landed in a new timeslot. Still, it will admittedly be strange to turn on the TV this Saturday afternoon and see a game not featuring the Texans taking place during the first game of the NFL playoffs.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.