At the end of September, the Patriots were treading water with a 2-2 record. The Texans were downright scuttling at 0-3, dropping their first three games of the season.
Since then, these have been among the hottest teams in the NFL, losing only three combined games — and the winner of Texans-Patriots will advance to the AFC Championship Game. (And if the Buffalo Bills beat the Denver Broncos, the Texans-Patriots winner will host the game.)
The Texans and Patriots have a lot of connections through the coaching staffs and front offices, and they each have former Pro Bowl defenders as head coaches. But they’re built differently — Houston with a dominant defense, New England with a budding star in Drake Maye at quarterback.
If C.J. Stroud can bounce back from a tough game at Pittsburgh, the Texans can be tough to beat. But New England’s defense also flexed its muscles in the Wild Card Round, with five sacks of Justin Herbert and allowing the Chargers only three points.
