Patriots-Texans on WMUR-TV: 10 keys to the game
Patriots vs. Texans | 3 p.m. Sunday on WMUR-TV
TODAY. IAN. AND MARISSA, 29, PATS PLAYERS MAKING THEIR PLAYOFF DEBUT LAST WEEK AGAINST THE CHARGERS. THAT’S MORE THAN HALF OF THE 53 MAN ROSTER NOW THAT THEY GOT A TASTE OF THE POSTSEASON. THEY WANT MORE AND THEY’RE GETTING MORE. WITH THE HOUSTON TEXANS COMING TO TOWN FOR THE DIVISIONAL ROUND SUNDAY AT 3:00. SO MANY PATRIOTS FANS FEELING THAT THE TEAM IS SO BACK. AND WE HEARD THROUGHOUT THIS WEEK FROM FANS WHO WERE THERE LAST SUNDAY NIGHT, THAT THE ATMOSPHERE INSIDE GILLETTE STADIUM WAS INCREDIBLE. THE PLAYERS THEMSELVES FELT IT TOO. HERE’S HOW THEY WANT IT TO BE THIS SUNDAY. IT’S OUR TURN. WE NEED MORE ENERGY OFF THE CROWD. WE OBVIOUSLY. BUT YOU KNOW, IT WAS A NICE TURN CROWD. THE ENERGY WAS THERE AND I ENJOYED PLAYING STADIUM AND I’M OVER HERE BOUNCING AND HOPPING AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. THEY CAN’T REALLY HEAR ME. SO, YOU KNOW, SIGNALS AND STUFF LIKE THAT IS VERY IMPORTANT. AGAIN, JALEN HAWKINS SAYING HE WANTS A CROWD SUNDAY. THAT’S A FOOTBALL TERM BY THE WAY. HAWKINS WAS ONE OF THOSE 29 PATRIOTS PLAYERS THAT MADE HIS PLAYOFF DEBUT LAST WEEK. BACK TO YOU. YOU KNOW IAN, I’VE BEEN HEARING THE SAME THING. PATRIOTS FANS SAYING WE ARE SO BACK IN THE INJURY REPORT THOUGH TODAY WE LEARNED THAT HOUSTON’S TOP WIDE RECEIVER NICO COLLINS IS RULED OUT FOR SUNDAY WITH A CONCUSSION. SO HOW CAN THE PATRIOTS CAPITALIZE ON THE TEXANS LOSING ONE OF THEIR KEY OFFENSIVE PLAYERS? YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. TO COUNTER THAT THOUGH, GOOD NEWS ON THE PATRIOTS INJURY FRONT AS PRO BOWL CORNER CHRISTIAN GONZALEZ HAS CLEARED CONCUSSION PROTOCOL. SO HE WILL PLAY. HE DOESN’T EVEN HAVE AN INJURY DESIGNATION. HE’S NOT QUESTIONABLE. HE’S NOT OUT. HE IS IN AND READY TO PLAY AGAINST THE HOUSTON TEXANS. SO YOU HAVE YOUR BEST CORNER AND YOUR BEST COVER GUY IN CHRIS
Patriots-Texans on WMUR-TV: 10 keys to the game
Patriots vs. Texans | 3 p.m. Sunday on WMUR-TV
Updated: 6:15 PM EST Jan 16, 2026
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. —
The Houston Texans come into Sunday’s AFC divisional round showdown with the league’s top defense. Can New England break through often enough to win and advance to the AFC Championship game?
Here are the keys to the game:
Protect the football
By now, you’ve likely heard how relentless this Texans defense is. They’re the best in the league.
They are lightning fast getting to the football and pressuring the quarterback.
Houston scored two defensive touchdowns last week against the Steelers.
Drake Maye has to play like the MVP and protect the football at all costs.
Whichever team wins the turnover battle has a great shot to win the game.
Attack the Texans’ defense
So much has been made of this Texans defense as if it’s the big bad wolf.
Yes, they’re historically good. Yes, Drake Maye and the offense need to protect the football.
But you know what? Go after them. Take shots down the field. Play your style. It’s worked this year, hasn’t it?
Don’t be afraid of Houston’s defense. Put them on their heels and force the Texans’ offense to play from behind.
Pressure Houston’s quarterback
Just look what happened on Monday.
Against the Steelers, C.J. Stroud fumbled five times and threw an interception.
So much has been made of the Texans’ defense, but the Pats have a healthy Milton Williams. They can pressure the quarterback.
Last week, New England forced LA’s Justin Herbert to fumble twice.
Take that same approach with Stroud. He makes mistakes under duress.
Win the coaching battle
These are two of the best coaches in the NFL.
DeMeco Ryans has led the Texans to the playoffs all three years as their head coach.
Like Mike Vrabel, Ryans was an All-Pro defensive player and like Vrabel. Ryans has established a winning culture and has the respect of his team.
They have similar playoff records, and both coaches operate with a confidence that permeates through their locker rooms.
It’ll be interesting to see this storyline play out.
Drake Maye’s speed
This could be one of the real X-factors Sunday.
The Texans’ D-front of Will Anderson and Danielle Hunter are dominant at disrupting quarterbacks.
But think about some of New England’s biggest plays of the season. A lot of them came when Maye is on the run, either extending plays, finding the open man or picking up big gains with his legs.
Embrace the home crowd
The Pats have a real advantage Sunday: 65,000 screaming fans.
This is a very young Patriots team: 34 out of the 53 guys on the roster made their playoff debut last week against the Chargers.
By and large, they were poised and fed off the energy of their home crowd.
Do the same thing against the Texans. Don’t let the game or the moment become too big.
Head coach Mike Vrabel has a lot to do with that. He’ll have his guys ready.
Don’t overcomplicate it
Yes, Houston has a great defense, but the Patriots have a great offense.
Look at these stats. This season, they outpaced Houston offensively in points, total yards, passing and rushing.
Josh McDaniels needs to dial up some creative plays and give the possible MVP, Drake Maye, opportunities to make some magic happen with his arm and legs.
Get Stefon Diggs going
Good things happen when you put the football in the hands of your best receiver.
The Pats are 6-0 when Stefon Diggs has at least 60 yards receiving.
Last week, he only caught 2 passes on 5 targets for 16 yards.
The Pats were able to win, but when Diggs takes over a game, it translates well for New England.
Let him do some damage against the NFL’s best defense.
Motivation from praise for Houston’s defense
Let all this talk about Houston’s defense be a motivator for New England’s defense.
You look at these numbers. Yes, the Texans’ defense is better than the Pats’ defense in every category. In fact, Houston is No. 1 in the NFL in almost all of them.
But the Patriots have been very good this season, too.
You have to wonder if all the praise for Houston might be a motivator for New England’s defense on Sunday.
Survive the rock fight
Playoff games oftentimes are not pretty. Just look at last week’s game against the Chargers.
Oftentimes, it comes down to which team makes the big play when it’s there.
Just one touchdown was scored in the win over Los Angeles, and in a matchup like this, with two very good teams, it could come down to which one takes advantage of the big play and which one fails to capitalize.