The Houston Texans and New England Patriots will play against each other in the second round of the AFC Playoffs. CBS will carry the game witch coverage starting at 4:30 pm EST from Gillette Stadium.
Houston will attempt to show that they are not a phony team. The Texans began the season 11-1 but struggled down the stretch and found themselves playing last week against Cincinnati. In that game the Texans looked dominant but things will not be so easy against a experienced and rested New England team.
What is the points spread in the Houston Texans and New England Patriots game? The New England Patriots are 9.5 point favorites against the Houston Texans. This is the largest line of any game this weekend. The over/under for this game is 47.5 total points.
This is not the first meeting between these two teams this season. In Week 14 the Patriots laid a 42-14 beat down on the Texans. In that game the Patriots jumped out to a quick 28-0 lead and were never challenged by the Texans.
New England was the fourth ranked passing attack in the NFL this season, they also ranked 7th in rushing. Those numbers should both be concerns for Houston who started the year strong defensively but allowed 51 points to Minnesota and Indianapolis to close out the season. The Texans did look better against the Bengals last week as they stuffed the ground game and frustrated Andy Dalton for much of the game.
For the Texans to win they must find ways to get their passing game going. The Patriots figure to do a good job of keeping Arian Foster in check as they ranked 9th in rushing defense. The weakness for the Patriots is their secondary, one Matt Schaub must take advantage of this time around if the Texans are to have any chance of winning.
Can Houston prove they are no phony or will New England put on another classic playoff performance at home?
