Houston Texans at New England Patriots: NFL Divisional Playoffs Preview and Prediction

After falling out of the top spot in the AFC, the Houston Texans were able to pick up a win over the Bengals last weekend. They were only able to score 19 points, but the defense held the Cincinnati offense to 13 points.

The Patriots grabbed the second spot in the AFC after winning their final two games and nine of their last ten altogether. They have already beaten the Texans once this season, which was the game that started the Texans’ slide to third in the AFC.

Houston Texans

The Texans made it to the playoffs as the third seed in the AFC. This can only be described as a disappointment in Houston for the team that was at the top of the AFC for the entire season up until the end.

They reached this game after narrowly defeating the Bengals last week in a rematch from last year’s playoffs. Matt Schaub struggled in what was his playoff debut, not throwing a touchdown while throwing an interception that was returned for a touchdown. He was helped by Arian Foster, who rushed for a touchdown along with 140 yards.

Tom Brady and the Patriots look to continue their winning ways on Sunday. (Image via The Big Lead)

The Texans must contain the offense of New England, especially considering the Patriots were able to put up 42 on the Texans the first time they met.

New England Patriots

The Patriots earned a much-deserved bye last week after jumping to the second spot in the AFC. They closed out the regular season with a 28-0 win over the Dolphins.

As mentioned above, the Patriots were able to defeat the Texans once this year by the score of 42-14. Tom Brady threw for four touchdowns in a rout that started the downfall of the Texans at season’s end.

The defense was able to hold the Texans to 14 points in the first meeting, and it looks like that number may be attainable once again after the Texans were only able to score 19 against the Bengals.

Texans-Patriots Prediction

Patriots 35 – Texans 17

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