There has been a lot to keep up with in the week between the Patriots' win over the Chargers and their divisional-round matchup against the Texans, with most of what's happened looking good for their chances on Sunday. Beyond Christian Gonzalez clearing concussion protocol, the Texans already ruled out WR Nico Collins, which is a massive plus for the defense.
On top of that, although it's devastating to see an injury sideline a player who brought their team this far, with a win this week, they will head to Denver for the AFC Championship game against a Bo Nix-less Broncos team. That's another major boost for their chances at a Super Bowl run.
But that's looking too far forward for now, because they have to focus on the Texans, who have one of the most dominant defenses in the league today. That won't be an easy feat for Drake Maye and his young, inexperienced roster around him.
Yet at the same time, they might have the weather on their side, as all signs point to a snow game coming back to Gillette Stadium.
Snowy conditions expected during the Patriots-Texans game could make it a far more interesting divisional round matchup
According to the latest weather reports, Foxborough is expected to see snow all day, including during the game.
The works in the Patriots' favor, since they play in an outdoor stadium and the Texans don't, and they were already going to be in uncharted territory, dealing with the elements and the cold temperatures they're not used to.
The Patriots, on the other hand, have a rich history of snow games, and in the days leading up to Sunday's game, it was easy to go down memory lane to remember some of the best moments of the dynasty era.
Possible snow game for the #NEPats you say? Gimme this pic.twitter.com/3YzHjYD70K
— Sara Marshall (@smarshxo) January 15, 2026
Maybe it's a bit presumptuous to suggest the Patriots will have another iconic moment like the one the legendary Tedy Bruschi gave us all those years ago.
But it's not too early to get excited about a big-time game with some factors working in the team's favor, especially after how the slate of games on Saturday turned out.
We haven't seen how this team fares in a game with this kind of weather, which is a bit concerning, to say the least. However, it's not unfamiliar to the entire team as much as it will be for Houston, so that's something to be optimistic about.
They have a major opportunity right now to take advantage of the weather and how it could force the Texans into mistakes, and they'll have to exploit that. It looks like they have a direct path to the Super Bowl, so they can't afford to mess up their next chance to get one step closer.