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The New England Patriots will continue their two-game home stretch when they return to Gillette Stadium this week to face the AFC North-leading Houston Texans. The Patriots are undefeated at Gillette Stadium against Houston with a 5-0 regular season record and a 2-0 postseason record. The last three meetings between the two teams have been played in Houston. This week's game will be the first game played at Gillette Stadium since the Patriots opened the 2018 season with a 27-20 victory over the Texans on Sept. 9, 2018.

PATRIOTS IN THROWBACKS AT HOME

The Patriots will wear throwback uniforms this week for the first time this season. The uniforms are based on the ones worn from 1984-1992 and then sporadically from 1994-2012 as an alternate uniform. The Patriots will wear red jerseys with white pants and a white helmet featuring the "Pat Patriot" logo with white facemasks. The Patriots are 7-3 when wearing throwback uniforms at home. New England has worn uniforms featuring the old "Pat Patriot" logo at home 10 times since switching to the current logo in 1993.

SERIES HISTORY

The Patriots and Texans will meet in the regular season for the first time since the 2021 season, a 25-22 New England win at Houston on Oct. 10, 2021. The last three regular season meetings have been played in Houston. This Sunday's game will be the first meeting between the two teams in New England since a 27-20 Patriots win in the 2018 season-opener on Sept. 9, 2018.

The Patriots are 7-0 all-time at home against Houston with a 5-0 regular season record and 2-0 postseason record.

The Patriots lead the overall series with an 11-3 advantage, including a 9-3 regular season record and a 2-0 mark in the postseason. The Patriots and Texans played two divisional round playoff games with New England taking a 41-28 win on Jan. 13, 2013 and a 34-16 win on Jan. 14, 2017. Both games were played at Gillette Stadium.

In 2016, the Patriots and Texans played two times with New England taking a 27-0 victory on Sept. 22 and a 34-16 win in the Divisional Playoffs. Both of those games were played at Gillette Stadium.

Before the Texans joined the league, the Patriots and the Houston Oilers were foes dating back to the days of the American Football League, playing twice a year from 1960-69 and 33 times overall before the Oilers moved to Tennessee following the 1996 season.

SCOUTING THE MATCHUPS

By Paul Perillo

When the Patriots run - Edge: Patriots

The one thing the Patriots have been consistently able to do this season is run the football. Both Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson have been productive when given the opportunity to establish the ground game. Both were effective in the Week 5 loss to Miami, averaging 7.4 and 8.7 yards per carry, respectively. Houston, meanwhile, struggles to stop the run, allowing an average of 120.2 yards per game and 4.9 yards per carry. Those totals have the Texans ranked 17^th and 25^th in the league in those categories. Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt figures to try to exploit that weakness with a steady diet of his two top backs. The Texans have the personnel to be better stopping the run than they've shown. Defensive coordinator Matt Burke uses a steady rotation at defensive tackle that includes Mario Edwards, Folorunso Fatukasi, Tim Settle and Khalil Davis playing in front of linebackers Henry To'oTo'o and Azeez Al-Shaair. That group will be focused on containing a Patriots ground attack that at times shredded the Dolphins to the tune of nearly 8 yards per carry. The Patriots will likely look to focus on getting more than 19 carries against the high-powered Texans.

When the Patriots pass - Edge: Texans

This area, on the other hand, has been non-existent for the Patriots all season. So much so that the calls to start rookie Drake Maye at quarterback have intensified. Jacoby Brissett has yet to find any semblance of rhythm as a passer, and although that isn't entirely his fault, he hasn't done much to improve things. The Patriots rank dead last in the league in passing, averaging a paltry 119.4 yards per game through the air. Brissett is completing just 58.5 percent of his passes despite rarely looking to push the ball downfield and has only two touchdowns in five starts. Pass protection has been the main issue and Brissett was once again hounded against a banged-up Dolphins defense that was missing its top two pass rushers. The Patriots made some adjustments up front with Mike Onwenu moving inside to guard and Vederian Lowe returning from injury to man the left tackle spot. It's possible some continuity among the group could lead to some improvement in the coming weeks. Whether it's Brissett or Maye, the protection will need to be better if the quarterbacks are to find DeMario Douglas, Ja'Lynn Polk and Kendrick Bourne, who returned from PUP to make his debut against Miami. The Texans have quality edge rushers in Will Anderson and Danielle Hunter so that won't be an easy task.

When the Texans run - Edge: Patriots

Houston's ground game has been limited, mostly due to the absence of lead back Joe Mixon. Mixon had a strong debut for the Texans before going down with an ankle injury in Week 2 that caused him to miss Houston's last three games. He had been averaging 4.7 yards per carry prior to the injury, so his potential availability could be a huge lift to Houston's running game. Without him, veteran Cam Akers assumed the lead back role and the production hasn't been there. The Texans average 104.2 yards per game on the ground and barely 4 yards per carry, numbers that rank 23^rd and 24^th in the league, respectively. The Patriots rank 13^th stopping the run, allowing 118 yards per game, but are coming off a tough outing in that department against Miami. Despite operating with their fourth-string quarterback, the Dolphins racked up 193 yards on the ground and averaged 4.7 yards on a whopping 41 carries. The Patriots will need to improve those numbers, especially if Mixon returns to the lineup. Davon Godchaux remain stout in the middle but without Ja'Whaun Bentley behind him the run defense has sagged in recent weeks. Keeping the Texans one-dimensional will be key.

When the Texans pass - Edge: Texans

Eliminating the run to keep the Texans one-dimensional may not be enough because Houston's passing attack is as dangerous as any in the league. Second-year quarterback C.J. Stroud is not suffering from a sophomore slump and leads the league's top-ranked passing game, averaging 272.4 yards per game through the air. Stroud completes 69 percent of his passes and has thrown for 1,385 yards and seven touchdowns through the first five weeks. He also has a talented group of receivers to work with including former Bill Stefon Diggs (31 catches, 315 yards, 2 TDs), Nico Collins (32-567-3) and Tank Dell (13-137-0). Collins left last week's win over the Bills with a hamstring injury suffered on his 67-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter, and he's considered week-to-week. Even without the top threat, the Texans are dangerous. Veteran Robert Woods and tight end Dalton Schultz are viable options, as are the running backs. But it all starts with Stroud, who has been impressive despite dealing with considerable pressure at times. Stroud was sacked 14 times in the first five weeks, so the Patriots might be able to get some heat on him to slow things down. Christian Gonzalez is coming off his best game of the season and should see plenty of Diggs, especially with Collins potentially out. Look for the Patriots to continue to mix in plenty of zone looks as well. This will be a tall order.

Special Teams - Edge: Patriots

Despite the early-season struggles, the Patriots special teams have managed to turn in a few quality plays in most games. Against the Dolphins those included a blocked punt by Brenden Schooler and another strong day by punter Bryce Baringer. Unfortunately, there were also some missteps, such as Joey Slye's missed 33-yard field goal and allowing Braxton Berrios to scoot down the sideline for a 12-yard return late in the first half to set up Miami with good field position. Baringer has been one of the team's overall bright spots, averaging 51.7 yards per punt with a 44.2-yard net. Houston is solid in the kicking game as well with Ka'imi Fairbairn off to a torrid start on field goals. Fairbairn has made 11 of 12 on the season but more impressively is 8-for-9 from beyond 50 yards including last week's 59-yarder at the buzzer to give the Texans a win over the Bills. Punter Tommy Townsend does a good job of pinning opponents with just one touchback against 10 downed inside the 20. Woods handles both kicks and punts for the Texans with a 36-yard punt return to his credit. Steven Sims also handles both but was inactive for the Bills game. Marcus Jones has yet to break free on punts for the Patriots, but he's always a threat to do so.

TALE OF THE TAPE

CONNECTIONS

FORMER PATRIOTS

• GM Nick Caserio, 2001-20 (Personnel, Coach)
• Asst. OL Coach Cole Popovich, 2015-20 (Coaching Asst., Asst. RBs, Co-OL coach)
• Def. Pass Game Spec. Cory Undlin, 2004 (Def. Coaching Asst.)
• CB Myles Bryant, 2020-23
• TE Dalton Keene, 2020-21
• G Shaq Mason, 2015-21
• CB D'Angelo Ross, 2019-21
• RB J.J. Taylor, 2020-22

FORMER TEXANS

• K Joey Slye, 2021
• Asst. OL Coach Robert Kugler, 2021
• CB Alex Austin, 2023

PATRIOTS TO WATCH

• DE Keion White has had at least 1 quarterback hit in each of the first five games of the season and will look to extend that mark this week against Houston. His 10 quarterback hits are tied for third in the NFL in 2024. The most quarterback hits in a season by a New England player are the 28 quarterback hits by LB Matthew Judon during the 2022 season.

• TE Hunter Henry is eighth on the all-time reception list among New England tight ends with 149 receptions. He needs 1 reception this week against Houston to become the eighth New England tight end to reach 150 receptions. Jim Whalen is seventh on the team's all-time list with 153 receptions.
• Henry is ninth on the team's all-time receiving yards list among tight ends and needs 14 yards this week against Houston to move past Tony Romeo into eighth place on the all-time list.

• S Brenden Schooler blocked a Miami punt in the second quarter last week. If Schooler blocks a kick this week against Houston, he will become the first Patriots player to block a kick in back-to-back games since DL Richard Seymour in 2002 when he blocked a field goal at Oakland (11/17/02) and vs. Minnesota (11/24/02). The last NFL player with a blocked kick in back-to-back games is DB Josh Metellus of Minnesota with blocked punts vs. the New York Giants (12/24/22) and at Green Bay (1/1/23).

• K Joey Slye connected on a team-record 63-yard field goal at the end of the second quarter at San Francisco on Sept. 29. It is his second career 60-yard field goal. He connected on a 61-yard field goal vs. Philadelphia on Oct. 29, 2023, when he played for Washington. If he connects on another 60-yard field goal this week against Houston, he will join Brandon Aubrey (3), Greg Zuerlein (3), Matt Prater (3) and Brett Maher (4) as the only players with at least three 60-yard field goals.

• LB Christian Elliss recorded his second-straight game with at least 2 special teams tackles vs. Miami last week after registering 2 special teams tackles the week before at San Francisco. If he records at least 2 special teams tackles vs. Houston this week, the three-game streak would be the longest streak of his career. S Brenden Schooler recorded at least 2 special teams tackles in three-straight games in 2023: at vs. Buffalo (10/22), at Miami (10/29) and vs. Washington (11/5). It is the second time in Elliss' career that he has recorded at least 2 special teams tackles in back-to-back weeks. He recorded 2 special teams tackles vs. Tennessee on Dec. 4, 2022, and at the New York Giants on Dec. 11, 2022, when he was a member of the Philadelphia Eagles.
• Elliss enters this week with a team-leading 6 special teams tackles and needs 1 special teams tackle this week against Houston to match his career-high of 7 special teams tackles set in 2023 when he split the season between Philadelphia (5 special teams tackles) and New England (2 special teams tackles).

• Last week, P Bryce Baringer extended his streak to 22-straight games with at least one 50-yard punt. His 22-game streak is the longest current streak, with Indianapolis P Rigoberto Sanchez in second with a 21-game streak.
• Baringer is tied for first in the NFL with 14 punts inside the 20-yard line in 2024. In 2023, Baringer led the NFL and set a team-record with 38 punts inside the 20-yard line. He is on pace to become the second Patriots punter with back-to-back seasons with at least 30 punts inside the 20-yard line. Jake Bailey had 36 punts inside the 20-yard line in 2019 and 31 in 2020.

• LS Joe Cardona will become the 24th Patriots player to reach 150 regular season games played this week.

BROADCAST INFO

TELEVISION: This week's game will be broadcast by CBS and can be seen locally on WBZ-TV Channel 4. Kevin Harlan will handle play-by-play duties with Trent Green as the color analyst. Melanie Collins will provide updates from the sidelines. The game will be produced by Bill Thayer and directed by Jim Cornell.

LOCAL RADIO: 98.5 The Sports Hub is the flagship station for the Patriots Radio Network. A complete listing of the network's 33 stations can be found here. Play-by-play broadcaster Bob Socci will call the action along with former Patriots quarterback Scott Zolak, who will provide color analysis. The games are produced by Marc Cappello.

For information on how to stream the game please visit our Ways to Watch guide.

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