Jan. 17, 2026, 7:02 a.m. ET
The New England Patriots are not playing today.
They are scheduled to play against the Houston Texans in the divisional round of the playoffs on Sunday at 3:00 p.m. ET. It will be an intriguing matchup pitting the high-powered Patriots offense against the dominant Texans defense.
The Texans shut down the Pittsburgh Steelers in the wild-card round of the playoffs in a 30-6 victory, while the Patriots held off the Los Angeles Chargers in a 16-3 win. This is a game that will be strength against strength, with MVP-candidate quarterback Drake Maye facing off against a defense that allows an average of only 16.7 points per game.
Both teams have met twice historically in the playoffs with the Patriots winning both games. They last met in an AFC divisional game back in 2017, and the Patriots won by a 34-16 margin. That was a season when the Patriots went on to win the Super Bowl.
Are they on the same path in 2026? All eyes will be on Foxborough when the Patriots and Texans go head-to-head in a win-or-go-home game.
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