New England Patriots vs Houston Texans: Game Three Preview and Prediction
By Hal Bent
The New England Patriots return home to Foxboro, MA on Sunday to take on the Houston Texans. The Patriots went down to the Big Easy last week and soundly defeated the New Orleans Saints 36-20.
The Patriots expect to get key slot wide receiver Danny Amendola back this week after he missed the game against New Orleans last week due to a concussion. Although tight end Rob Gronkowski missed the end of the Saints game due to a groin injury, Gronkowski reports he should be good to go on Sunday against the talented and ferocious Houston defense.
The Texans lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars 29-7 in Week 1 but bounced back last week edging Cincinnati 13-9. The Texans turned to rookie first-round draft pick quarterback Deshaun Watson in week one after starter Tom Savage was…savaged by the Jacksonville pass rush.
WIth just 20 points in two games, the Houston offense will be looking to get on track against a familiar foe. For New England quarterback Tom Brady, he is coming off a historic performance throwing for three first quarter touchdowns and throwing for 447 yards against the Saints (all stats from Pro-Football-Reference.com unless othewise noted). Now the Patriots and their red-hot offense face-off against the powerful Houston defense.
There are a number of factors that will go into whether the Patriots will win, whether the Texans will pull the upset on the road, who needs to step up for New England on Sunday, what one of the hidden factors that could impact the game, and what will actually happen on Sunday.