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The first game on Sunday in the Divisional Round of the 2026 NFL playoffs will feature an AFC matchup between the No. 5 Houston Texans and the No. 2 New England Patriots.
The Patriots lead the all-time regular season series between these teams, 9-4, but the Texans have won three of their four most-recent meetings. They last faced off back in 2024, when the Texans won in New England, 41-21.
The winner of this game will face the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship game — the Broncos will be without Bo Nix who fractured his ankle on the second-to-last play in overtime against the Bills.
Here’s everything you need to know about the game:
Houston Texans vs. New England Patriots
Game time: 3:00 PM ESTChannel: ESPN | ABCOnline Streaming: FuboTV | ESPNLocation: Gillette Stadium | Foxborough, MAAnnouncers: Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Lisa Salters / Laura Rutledge (field reporter)
Houston Texans: +3.5 (+142)New England Patriots: -3.5 (-168)Over/under: 40.5 points
Open thread: Discuss Sunday’s game in the comments below.
