New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel met with reporters on Monday following his team's victory over the Houston Texans in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs. Vrabel said it's too soon to know if veteran wide receiver Mack Hollins will be activated off of injured reserve for that game.

Following Sunday's win, Vrabel's team advanced to face the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship Game.

The Patriots struggled on offense Sunday at Gillette Stadium against the vaunted Houston Texans defense. But New England's defense more than made up for it by forcing five turnovers on a snowy day in Foxboro. That included forcing Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud to throw four interceptions.

Will Mack Hollins play versus Denver?

Vrabel was asked about veteran wide receiver Mack Hollins, who has not played since December 21. Hollins finished that game against the Baltimore Ravens, but was then placed on injured reserve with an abdomen injury.

Normally in the regular season, a player has to miss four games on injured reserve, not four weeks. But the rule is different for the playoffs. So while the Texans game was the fourth week Hollins has missed but only the third game, he is now eligible to return if he is deemed healthy enough.

"I can't be certain right now. Still working through everything with some of those guys that could come back. Josh Farmer could be eligible to come back as well as Mack. But those aren't decisions that we've made yet," Vrabel said.

Cornerback Carlton Davis, who had two interceptions, exited Sunday's game late to be evaluated for a head injury. Davis was not allowed to meet with the media after the game due to concussion protocol, so it's not known yet if he could be available against the Broncos.

Christian Gonzalez went through a similar situation last week but was able to clear concussion protocol and play versus Houston.

Patriots playoff history in Denver

The Patriots play the Broncos at 3 p.m. Sunday in Denver. The game will air on CBS stations, including WBZ-TV, as well as Paramount+.

Denver is 4-0 all-time in home games against the Patriots in the playoffs. The Mile High City is a notoriously difficult place to play because of the noise from fans in the stadium, and due to the altitude of the stadium.

"Just physiologically you have to be at altitude for longer than a day or two or three. It takes time to do that," Vrabel said. "So, we'll do what we've always done. We'll travel and be in condition and ready to play. That's kind of what it is."