Texans at Patriots: Game preview, odds, prediction

The New England Patriots can reach the AFC Championship Game for the sixth straight year with a win over the Houston Texans this weekend.

Not too many people are giving the Houston Texans much of a chance to stun the New England Patriots this Saturday evening..

It is certainly understandable. Back in Week 3 on a Thursday evening, Bill Belichick’s club disposed of the then 2-0 Texans, 27-0. They were still without quarterback Tom Brady. It was rookie Jacoby Brissett (in place of Jimmy Garoppolo) at quarterback for the Pats. But it was some opportunistic special teams and a ground attack that rolled up 185 yards that night that did in Houston.

Houston comes off a 27-14 victory over the depleted Oakland Raiders in the AFC Wild Card Playoffs. It will be interesting to see what adjustments head coach Bill O’Brien and defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel will make this time around.

Odds

Line: Patriots (-16)

Over/Under: 44.5

What you can probably expect is a big effort from Brady, who hold basically every postseason record in NFL history.

You can also expect a big performance from tight end Martellus Bennett. He figures to poke some holes in Houston’s 3-4 defense. It will be interesting to see who Crennel opts to use to cover the talented pro, who finished third on the team with 55 receptions, good for 701 yards and a team-high seven touchdown catches.

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It would not be a surprise to see the upstart Texans keep pace with the Patriots early on. But O’Brien’s team just hasn’t performed consistently enough on the offensive side of the ball. And it’s hard to believe that even a ball-control oriented attack will be able to keep Brady and company off the field. Add in the fact that Belichick’s club doesn’t make a lot of mistakes and you see the predicament facing the AFC South champions.

Pick: Patriots 31, Texans 15