The New England Patriots travel to NRG Stadium to face the Houston Texans on Sunday Night Football. The Patriots have lost two straight after starting the season 10-0, and head coach Bill Belichick will look for his team to bounce back against the Texans. Houston is currently in a tight playoff race in the AFC South and is currently tied with the Indianapolis Colts at 6-6 on the year.
The Buffalo Bills snapped Houston's four game win streak, and Texans head coach Bill O'Brien will need his team to bounce back against New England, as they have no room for error in this conference matchup. Texans quarterback Brian Hoyer is having a career year in his first season in Houston and has thrown a career-high 18 touchdowns to just six interceptions. Hoyer will look to target Texans star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins Sunday night as he leads the team in with 86 catches this year.
Hopkins has 1,169 receiving yards and is coming off a big game against the Buffalo Bills in which he caught five passes for 88 yards and touchdown. O'Brien will look to have a strong combination of run and pass plays on Sunday, as he will look to keep the Patriots' defense guessing.
While Houston's offense will look to get it going against New England, it's the Texans defense that separates this team from others. Star defensive end J.J. Watt is expected to play with a cast on his hand Sunday, after breaking it this week during Wednesday's practice. Watt is a matchup nightmare for any defense and has recorded 13.5 sacks this year.
Belichick has likely devised a strong game plan in protecting quarterback Tom Brady from Watt Sunday night, and the return of Rob Gronkowski will have a major impact on New England's offense. Gronkowski is reportedly expected to play Sunday against Houston, and he currently leads the team with 931 receiving yards.
Gronkowski and wide receiver Danny Amendola will look to be Brady's top targets on Sunday, as they both can be impact playmakers. Amendola has filled in nicely in the slot role with wide receiver Julian Edelman injured and has caught 56 passes for 582 yards with three touchdowns on the year.
The Patriots currently have the third best offense in the entire NFL in terms of yards per game, but they have struggled to stay consistent with their ground game. Running back LeGarrette Blount will see plenty of touches Sunday night, and New England will look to establish a strong rushing attack against the Texans. Belichick knows how important a strong ground game can be come playoffs, and expect Blount and running back Brandon Bolden to get plenty of work down the stretch of this season.
Both teams are currently fighting for the postseason, but New England is truly fighting for a strong postseason position. The game starts at 8:30 p.m. Eastern time, and you can watch to the live broadcast here. To listen to the Patriots' radio broadcast, click here, and for the Texans' radio broadcast, go here.
