W2W4: New England Patriots vs Houston Texans

The New England Patriots face off against the Houston Texans on prime-time Sunday night. The Texans are currently tied with the Indianapolis Colts for the lead in the AFC South with a 6-6 record. The Patriots are tied with Cincinnati and Denver with a 10-2 record as the best in the AFC. However, Houston has won four of five while New England has lost two consecutive games. New England is coming off an uncharacteristic loss to the Philadelphia Eagles littered with breakdowns in coaching strategy and special teams.

Week 14 Q & A: Smack Talk Saturday with Toro Times

Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

The Texans boast former Patriots assistant coaches in head coach Bill O’Brien (2011 offensive coordinator) and defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel (2001-2004 defensive coordinator). No team in the NFL is entrenched in the Bill Belichick mold like Houston. However, as well as O’Brien and Crennel know Belichick and his methods on both sides of the ball, so does Belichick know them and their tendencies. This is a classic “We know that they know that we know that they know what we know” kind of game. 

Must-read: Pats-Texans BOLD PREDICTIONS: Damaris Johnson kick return TD

As always, you can follow my live tweets and in-game analysis during New England Patriots games at @halbent01 on Twitter. Since both teams are focused on the game on the field, let’s do the same and investigate both teams and what to watch for on Sunday and the game score prediction at the end of the analysis:

Next: When the Texans Run the Ball