Overview
- Kickoff is Sunday at 3 p.m. ET at Gillette Stadium, with coverage on ABC and ESPN.
- Patriots coordinator Josh McDaniels stressed avoiding turnovers and finishing drives with a kick after Maye threw a goal-line interception and lost a fumble in the wild-card win.
- The Texans bring the NFL’s top-ranked defense with 29 regular-season takeaways, and edge rushers Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter pose a major test for New England’s protection.
- Houston is expected to be without Pro Bowl receiver Nico Collins due to a concussion, increasing the onus on Christian Kirk, rookies Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel, and tight end Dalton Schultz.
- The matchup pairs New England’s AFC-best scoring offense (28.8 points per game) against a Houston team on a 10-game winning streak, with the Patriots seeking their first conference title appearance since 2018 and the Texans chasing their first ever.