By the end of September, the Patriots were treading water with a 2-2 record. The Texans were downright 0-3 and lost their first three games of the season.
Since then, they’ve been among the hottest teams in the NFL, losing just three games combined since then — and the Texans-Patriots winner advances to the AFC Championship Game. (And if the Buffalo Bills beat the Denver Broncos, the Texans-Patriots winner will host the game.)
The Texans and Patriots have strong ties through the coaching staff and front offices, and they each have former Pro Bowl defensive backs as head coaches. But they’re built differently — Houston with a dominant defense, New England with a budding star in Drake Maye at quarterback.
If CJ Stroud can bounce back from a rough game in Pittsburgh, the Texans can be tough to beat. But New England’s defense also flexed its muscles in the Wild Card round, with five sacks by Justin Herbert and allowing just three points to the Chargers.