Next on Patriots playoff schedule? The Houston Texans.
The Houston Texans will be the next team on the New England Patriots playoff schedule.
The two will square off Sunday at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro in the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs.
When is the Patriots playoff game?
The number 5 seed Texans crushed the fourth-seeded Pittsburgh Steelers Monday night.
They'll now play the Patriots at 3 p.m. Sunday. The game will be broadcast on ESPN and ABC.
The Patriots earned the home game and the number two seed in the AFC thanks to a 14-3 regular season record. New England dominated the seventh-seeded Los Angeles Chargers Sunday night in Foxboro, 16-3.
When the sixth seeded Buffalo Bills beat three-seed Jacksonville Saturday, it meant that the Bills were guaranteed a trip to Denver to face the top-seeded Broncos, who earned the only bye in the AFC.
Texans vs Patriots
The Texans, who finished the season 12-and-5, did not play the Patriots this season.
Patriots quarterback Drake Maye made his first ever NFL start last season against Houston, which has become known for having one of the most ferocious defenses in the league.
Houston won that game easily on October 13, 2024, 41-21. Maye threw for 243 yards and three touchdowns in his first start but was also picked off twice.
This season, the Texans have the No. 1 overall defense in the NFL with only 277.2 yards allowed per game. Houston's pass defense is ranked sixth, and their rushing defense is fourth in the league.
Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel spoke Monday about the challenge his coaching staff faced as they started the week not knowing who their next opponent was.
"There's two things we're working on today. We have to be able to identify some things that we can reasonably try to correct and enhance," Vrabel said. "And the other thing is trying to prepare for an opponent who we won't know who it is until tonight. So we'll have to do work and both teams and be ready to go, and that's just how it is."