New England Patriots vs. Houston Texans Divisional Playoff Preview: Kick-off time, news, prediction and how to watch on DAZN

This Sunday, the AFC’s No. 2 seed New England Patriots welcome the No. 5 seed Houston Texans to Gillette Stadium for a Divisional Round matchup expected to be played in subfreezing conditions.

Cold weather and playoff football are familiar territory in Foxborough, but this marks the Patriots’ first Divisional Round appearance since 2018. Much has changed since then, with a new era now in place under head coach Mike Vrabel and quarterback Drake Maye.

For the Texans, it’s a second straight trip to the Divisional Round and a chance to put right what went wrong against the Chiefs at this stage last season. It’s also an opportunity for their dominant defense to take Houston to the Conference Championship for the first time in franchise history.

Before diving into everything you need to know about one of the weekend’s most intriguing matchups, don’t forget to take advantage of DAZN’s Game Pass offer, which gives you access to every remaining playoff game - including the Super Bowl - for just £14.99.

Players to watch

Where else would we start than Drake Maye, the surprise MVP candidate nobody but us saw coming. The second-year signal-caller has played at a stellar level most of the year, and if the Patriots are going to advance to the AFC title game, he must be at his best once again.

But even with weapons such as wideout Stefon Diggs and tight end Hunter Henry in the aerial attack, and the dynamic tandem of TreVeyon Henderson and Rhamondre Stevenson powering efforts on the ground, Maye and the entire Patriots offense will have their hands full in this one.

The reason for that is, of course, the dominant Texans' defense. Conversations about that group usually start with the terrifying prowess of Will Anderson and Danielle Hunter on the edge, but there's more to Matt Burke's defense than that.

Houston's imposing secondary, comprising All-Pro Derek Stingley at cornerback, also boasts Kamari Lassiter and Jalen Pitre among its many difference-makers.

The Texans' offense still runs through quarterback C.J. Stroud, who, despite being one of the weaker quarterbacks in the Divisional Round, can play as well as any when he's on top of his game.

It helps, of course, that he's surrounded by an enviable arsenal of pass-catchers. However, while Christian Kirk, rookie Jayden Higgins and tight end Dalton Schultz have the skills to elevate Stroud's game, none compare to Nico Collins, who, worryingly, hasn't practised this week due to a concussion suffered against the Steelers last weekend.

New England's defense is high on confidence after limiting the Chargers to only three points in last weekend's Wild Card contest, and will challenge themselves to produce a repeat performance here.

However, the Texans' offensive line is likely to pose more of a challenge to the likes of Milton Williams and K'Lavon Chaisson than anything the Bolts had to offer, even if left tackle Trent Brown doesn't return from his ankle injury in time to play.

The Patriots' secondary is disciplined and physical. And with gifted cornerback Christian Gonzalez trending toward playing, they'll certainly give Stroud and Co. plenty to think about.

But if Stroud can count on rookie tailback Woody Marks to produce anything close to the career-best performance he managed last weekend, Houston's offense could threaten to score enough points to cause an upset.

Keys to the game

• Maye and his OTs, Will Campbell and Morgan Moses, vs. Anderson and Hunter: Maye hasn't typically been error-prone, but this Houston front has a habit of stifling even the best.
• Collins' health: As impressive as Kirk was last week, a healthy Collins vastly improves the Texans' outlook.
• Red zone execution: Field goals could be decisive, but the team that converts red zone opportunities into six will have a distinct advantage.
• Weather: New England has a slight advantage due to their familiarity with such cold conditions. Can they make it count? Will both teams lean more heavily on the run? If so, surely Stevenson + Henderson > Marks + Chubb.

Kickoff date, time, and location

• Date: Sunday, January 18
• Kick-off time: 8pm GMT / 3pm ET / 12pm PT
• Venue: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough

Prediction

With 10 consecutive wins coming into Sunday, the Texans have already exceeded expectations, and for that, DeMeco Ryans and his talented roster deserve every credit.

I wouldn't be surprised if their defense continued to dominate, and perhaps even continue to score enough points, to make life difficult for Maye and Co. here.

But I can't let go of my reservations around Stroud's ability to take this team deep into January. Yes, defense sometimes wins championships, but a balance on both sides of the ball is equally important.

In that sense, the Patriots, soft schedule or not, have a distinct advantage in Maye. Josh McDaniels will have a plan to get the ball out quickly, focusing on high-percentage - albeit short-yardage - throws.

With all of this in mind, and although I enjoy watching talented defenses, I have to stick with my earlier prediction that the Patriots will prevail and advance to face the Broncos in the Championship game.

Patriots 21 - 17 Texans

How to watch the New England Patriots vs. Houston Texans on DAZN

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