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Facing a team they shellacked 42-14 in Week 14, the New England Patriots will once again host the Houston Texans on Jan 13. The Texans finished off the Bengals 19-13 on Saturday, the second season in a row Houston has taken them out in the WIld Card Round.
Because of the Texans' 1-3 slide to finish the season that included the loss to the Pats, the Texans lost a first-round bye and homefield advantage. Tom Brady & Co. have rested easy since their Week 17 win against Miami and have won nine of their last ten overall.
With Houston as the third seed, their only option is to play the Patriots. No matter who prevails in the game between Baltimore and Indianapolis, the winner will play Denver on the road next Saturday. The Texans will be the highest seed to not have a bye and therefore play the lowest seed that did receive a bye, the second-seeded Patriots.
The Texans defense smothered the Bengals, but the Patriots scored a league-high 34.8 points per game, almost five points higher than the second-place team. J.J. Watt continues to play like an MVP, and will relish his second attempt to disrupt the high-powered New England attack.