No one said the road to the Super Bowl LI would be easy.

Although the Houston Texans didn’t exactly scare anyone leading up to Saturday's AFC divisional round game, the Patriots' next opponent in the AFC Championship Game is a whole different story. After a sloppy 34-16 win on Saturday, the Patriots now turn their attention to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

With the third-seeded Steelers coming off an upset win over the No. 2 Kansas City Chiefs, the Patriots know they’ll have to play much better in order to get to Houston and a chance at their fifth Super Bowl title. On paper, the Steelers look like the toughest test that the Patriots will face this season.

“They’re a tremendous offense,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. “Kansas City was able to make some plays in the red area, but [the Steelers] could’ve easily been up in the 40s [on Sunday] night. They do a lot of things well. They can run. Throw it. [Antonio] Brown is the main guy, but all the receivers, tight ends, backs — they’re all a problem. [Ben] Roethlisberger is really good. Makes all the throws. Looks like his mobility is good. They do a great job. They’re a good offense.”

Pittsburgh finished fifth in total offense — better than any opponent the Patriots had in the regular season. When the Pats played the Steelers in Week Seven, Roethlisberger was out with an injury and they faced backup quarterback Landry Jones.

This time around, they have to deal with Roethlisberger, whose 95.4 quarterback rating is better than any quarterback the Pats defense faced this season.

The Steelers have arguably the best receiver-running back combo in the NFL with Antonio Brown (106 receptions, 1,284 yards and 12 touchdowns) and Le’Veon Bell (261 carries, 1,268 rushing yards and seven touchdowns). In week Seven, Bell was held to 81 yards (3.9 yards per carry), but also caught 10 passes for 68 yards. Also in that game, Brown caught seven passes for 106 yards.

“Pittsburgh offense is a very dangerous, very explosive offense,” Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia said. “This will be different for us from obviously the first time with Ben being back. They run a very consistent offense. ... They have very explosive guys at every position. The running back, Le’Veon Bell, is obviously a very dangerous player. … Antonio Brown is obviously a great wide receiver and a huge threat, once the ball is in his hands, to make people miss.”

There hasn’t been a lot of talk about the Steelers defense, but, at least late in the season, it’s a unit that’s been playing like one of the best. On Sunday, Pittsburgh held Kansas City, in the Chiefs home stadium, to 16 points.

On paper, the Steelers pass rush doesn’t look particularly impressive. James Harrison is their sack leader with only five, followed by Bud Dupree (4.5) and Stephon Tuitt (four). The results of late, however, suggests otherwise. Pittsburgh finished tied for ninth in the NFL in sacks with 38, but the Steelers led the league over the second half of the season with 30.

“They have a lot of guys that can do different things,” Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels said. “Their down guys are not just run-stoppers. Tuitt’s a very active guy. He’s created a lot of pressure on the quarter from the spots that he plays. They’ll pressure people with pressures, linebacker blitzes, so guys like [Lawrence] Timmons and [Ryan] Shazier — they all have sacks.

“It’s not just one guy. That’s the biggest thing. It’s the entire front, plus you’re going to get secondary pressures. Their nickel back, their safeties are all involved in the blitz packages, which has been a hallmark of their defense over many years. You can’t really focus your attention on one or two guys. That’s not really what this defense is built on. They’re going to come at you in waves.”

On Saturday, the Patriots struggled for three quarters against the Texans before turning on the burners in the fourth. Tom Brady knows he and the offense have to step it up if they want to get to Houston.

“I feel like we are a tough, hard-nosed football team. Certainly, we know the Steelers are,” Brady said on WEEI radio on Monday morning. “They have a lot of tough guys. They run the ball well. Ben is an incredible player. They have a lot of good skill players and they’ve always had a great defense. It’s going to be a tough game.”