Patriots vs Texans preview, prediction, betting odds and live stream info
New England Patriots vs Houston Texans
Coming off their second loss of the season, the New England Patriots are looking for anything to stop the bleeding. Sure, New England’s 10-2 record will end up being one of the best in football before the season is over, but for Tom Brady, two losses in a row after such a scorching start has to be killing him.
New England will look to end that skid and beat a surprisingly hot Houston Texans team on the road. Houston has now won 4-of-5 and 5-of-7 games to improve to .500 on the year through 13 weeks.
After a 2-4 start to the year, Brian Hoyer has guided the Texans back on track with some solid play over his past six games, improving the Texans to 6-6. Can’t say many bad things about the Texans right now and the Patriots are in the same boat.
Details for Sunday’s Patriots vs Texans game are below:
Date: Sunday, Dec. 13
Start Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
Location: Houston, TX
Stadium: NRG Stadium
TV Info: NBC
Live Stream: NBC Sports Live Extra
Radio: For Patriots radio affiliates, click here. For Texans radio affiliates, click here.
Ticket Info: Click here
Keys to Victory
New England Patriots
Rob Gronkowski is still questionable, and it’s clear that Tom Brady is missing his favorite target. The New England offense just isn’t the same without Gronk, so Tom will need to trust his other receivers more than he does. Danny Amendola has been playing well, but guys like Brandon LaFell and Keshawn Martin will need to step up.
Also, LeGarrette Blount needs to run the ball more effectively because Tom Brady should never be forced to throw 57 passes in a game like he did last week. Run the ball well and the rest of the offense will take care of itself. Blount will need to do much better than 13 carries for 54 yards in which he had last week, but that’s also on the play-calling. Playing from behind is never easy.
Houston Texans
Brian Hoyer is really the key to success for the Texans. We all know that stopping Tom Brady and this potent offensive attack is nearly impossible, so the Texans defense will have to find a way to keep him in check and force him to find receivers who he’s not completely in sync with.
As for the offense, since Alfred Blue isn’t exactly lighting the world on fire in Arian Foster’s absence, Brian Hoyer and the passing attack will be key. People might hate on the veteran quarterback for his ill-timed interceptions, but he has protected the ball well this season, throwing 18 touchdown passes and just six interceptions. He will need to continue to protect the ball and make sure he finds his favorite target, DeAndre Hopkins, early and often.
Betting Odds
Point Spread: New England -3.5
Moneyline: New England -175, Houston +155
O/U: 45
Prediction
No way New England loses three games in a row after a 10-0 start to the season. Although I believe the Texans are good enough to hand the Patriots their third consecutive loss, Tom Brady is too competitive to let his team go from best in the league to just above average in three weeks time. Gronk probably won’t play, but Brady will start developing a connection with Amendola, LaFell and Martin.
Final Score: Patriots 35, Texans 27