The New England Patriots will face the Houston Texans in the Divisional Round of the playoffs on Sunday, after each team took care of business in the Wildcard Round. The Patriots won a gritty game against the Chargers 16-3, while the Texans' defense carried them to a 30-6 win over the No. 4 seed Steelers.
The game will no doubt be a low-scoring affair, but the Patriots may have an advantage no one is talking about.
Bill Belichick's influence on the game, even in 2026, is still felt. Whether it be veteran players who are still holdouts from "The Patriot Way" or coaches scattered across the league, the greatest coach of all time has had his influence on football. One of those coaches who was once part of his staff was Nick Caley, now the Texans' offensive coordinator.
Caley, 42, spent 2015-2022 in New England in various roles. He began his time as an offensive assistant, later coaching tight ends from 2017 to his departure after the '22 season. Caley made a lateral move after the hiring of Bill O'Brien as the offensive coordinator, taking the same role with the Rams in '23. That role would expand to include pass game coordination in '24.
The Rams offense was 10th in passing yards last season, with Puka Nacua totaling just shy of 1,000 yards in 11 games. 1,300 yards on the ground from Kyren Williams negated a need for a top-tier passing game, but Stafford, Nacua, and Kupp led the charge for an above-average one under Caley. This is his first season with the Texans.
Nick Caley's Patriots connections could reveal key pieces of Texans' gameplan
Houston's 13th-ranked offense isn't overly impressive. C.J. Stroud is an above-average quarterback, and Nico Collins is a legitimate No. 1 wideout, though his concussion may keep him out of Sunday's contest. Christian Kirk's wildcard showing should excite Texans' fans: 8 catches for 144 yards and a touchdown.
This performance came after he had just 239 yards all year, giving New England something to be seriously concerned about this weekend.
A trio of former Iowa State receivers, Jayden Higgins, Jaylin Noel, and Xavier Hutchinson, are all pieces to the receiving corps, but the 6-foot-4 Higgins is the only one of any real note. The receiving corps, especially without Collins, is weak, and Woody Marks averaged 3.6 YPC this season, though he did have his first 100+ yard rushing day of his career on Monday.
Where Caley's Patriots connection ties into this Texans' offense is his tight end usage. Dalton Schultz had the most catches of his career this season, 82, and had his highest yardage total (777) since 2021 with the Cowboys. The Steelers shut him down: he had just three catches for 12 yards, and the Houston offense scored seven points through three quarters.
Mike Vrabel on former Patriots positional coach and now Texans OC Nick Caley’s offense:
— Brian Hines (@iambrianhines) January 14, 2026
“I think there’s some carryover. There’s some LA stuff and some stuff he learned from here.”
The Texans are 3-2 when Shultz has 60+ yards in a game, but they also average 31.2 PPG: a far cry compared to their 20.7 PPG they averaged in their other 12 games this season.
New England has struggled immensely against tight ends this season, but they'll need to ensure Shultz is limited on Sunday. Especially if Collins doesn't play, locking up the tight end should be priority 1A.
The Stroud/Caley offense isn't all that impressive, and it's one New England should be able to handle with their No. 4-ranked defense that's coming off a game in which they had more sacks than points allowed. Schultz is the cornerstone to an effective offensive day for the Texans, so if New England can shut him down, Houston's offense goes with him.