Crunch.

That was the sound of Houston Texans players colliding with Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers early in the fourth quarter of their Wild Card Round matchup, causing him to lose the ball. Texans defensive lineman Sheldon Rankins picked the ball up and ran it to the end zone for what felt like the knockout blow even though there was still a lot of time left to play.

It was that type of game for both teams – a defensive struggle – as Houston put together a 30-6 victory. It was the franchise’s first road playoff victory.

There were big hits and little room for error. Houston had a 7-6 lead at halftime thanks to a touchdown pass from C.J. Stroud to Christian Kirk.

Even as the Texans turned the ball over three times between the first half and the third quarter, the Steelers could only muster up three points. Houston’s defensive prowess was on display on each snap as Rodgers was left with little to no time to make a decision.

When he did have time to throw, wide receivers like DK Metcalf, Jonnu Smith and Calvin Austin III either dropped the ball or were just a hair off. Rodgers also had a few of his passes deflected.

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Steelers fans let the team hear it with plenty of boos. Pittsburgh extended its playoff losing streak to seven games.

Texans running back Woody Marks ran for 100 yards for the first time in his career and scored a touchdown to really seal the win. Texans defensive back Calen Bullock returned an interception for a touchdown late in the game.

Stroud finished 21-of-32 with 250 passing yards and the touchdown pass. The Texans’ defense sacked Rodgers four times. Rankins was good for 1.5 sacks.

The Steelers almost had no offense throughout the game. The team was held to 175 yards and outscored 23-0 in the fourth quarter.

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Houston will take on the New England Patriots in the AFC Divisional Round.

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SACRAMENTO — Lakers coach JJ Redick was asked before Monday’s game against the Sacramento Kings how he could ensure his players wouldn’t underestimate a nine-win team.

“We don’t look at any game as a walkover,” Redick said.

Then the Kings walked all over the Lakers, taking a 20-point lead in the third quarter before winning 124-112 at Golden 1 Center.

Luka Doncic did his best to keep the Lakers in the game, scoring 42 points and collecting eight assists and seven rebounds. But he scored just two points in the fourth quarter and looked slower after having his left thigh wrapped at the end of the third quarter.

The Lakers got to within seven points in the fourth, but the Kings pulled away. DeMar DeRozan scored 32 points and Russell Westbrook finished with 22 points and seven assists for the Kings (10-30), who shot 59% from the field (48-82) and made 17 three-pointers.

LeBron James, who scored 22 points, wore a patch on his jersey commemorating his unprecedented 23rd NBA season in the city where he played his first NBA game. It features a silhouette of his pregame chalk toss and three colored stripes that represents the three franchises he has played on — the Lakers, Cavaliers and Heat.

He will wear the patch for the remainder of the season. After each game, the patch will be removed from his jersey, dated and shipped to a Topps’ production facility to be authenticated and inserted into a pack of trading cards.

The Lakers (23-14) looked strong from the onset when Deandre Ayton won the jump ball and eventually threw a lob pass to James for a 2-0 Lakers lead, a play that has become something the Lakers have used several times to start a game.

James hit his first four shots and the Lakers took an 8-2 lead before everything started to crumble.

They were behind 59-43 late in the second quarter. They couldn’t stop Malik Monk, who had 18 points off the bench on six-for-eight shooting, including five for six from three-point range. Monk finished with 26 points.

After the hot start, James finished the first half going five for 12 from the field for 12 points. He finished the game shooting eight for 17.

Lakers star LeBron James, right, drives against Sacramento Kings forward Precious Achiuwa during the first half Monday. James finished with 22 points.

(Justine Willard / Associated Press)

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The Lakers will play the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. When the Lakers played a back-to-back game last week, James sat out the second game. Will he do the same Tuesday?

“We’ll see how he feels in the morning,” Redick said.

Perhaps Rui Hachimura will make his return from right calf soreness. He was available to play Monday, but he sat out his seventh consecutive game.

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LSU Tigers football is reportedly set to land a coveted transfer on Monday to start Lane Kiffin’s tenure as head coach.

Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt will likely transfer to the Tigers and play in Baton Rouge next season, ESPN reported. Leavitt is one of the top quarterbacks in the transfer portal and reportedly visited Miami and Kentucky en route to his decision.

LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier graduated following the 2025 season and Michael Van Buren transferred to South Florida upon Kiffin’s arrival at LSU from Ole Miss. LSU was reportedly also targeting Washington’s Desmond Williams Jr. before he chose to stay with the Huskies.

Leavitt initially transferred from Michigan State to Arizona State following his freshman season in 2023. He became a star under Kenny Dillingham’s tutelage and had the Sun Devils in the College Football Playoff in 2024, only losing to the Texas Longhorns by eight points in the first round.

He only played in seven games in 2025, throwing for 1,628 yards and 10 touchdowns before he suffered a foot injury that required season-ending surgery.

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Upon Leavitt’s decision to enter the transfer portal, Dillingham had warm words for him.

“Big 12 champ, put his name on the map, smart/talented player! Going to succeed wherever he goes,” Dillingham wrote on X in December.

LSU had high expectations for the 2025 season. But the team was only able to muster seven wins. The team fired Brian Kelly in the middle of the year.

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Kiffin joined LSU after Ole Miss won its Egg Bowl rivalry game against Mississippi State. The Rebels made the College Football Playoff and got to the semifinals.

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