Heading into the 2013 NFL season, the Houston Texans were thought to be be one of the top teams in the league. The New England Patriots seemed ready to mail it in for a year, with Wes Welker gone and Rob Gronkowski out with injuries. Yet in today’s Week 13 matchup between New England and Houston, the 8-3 Patriots sit atop the AFC East while the 2-9 Texans are closing their eyes just waiting for the nightmare to end. Following their huge comeback win over Denver last week at home, the Patriots are looking to dominate from start to finish today on the road. You can watch Patriots vs Texans online free using one of several different methods.
That domination seems likely today, as the Patriots have manhandled the Texans the past two times these teams have met. Two games ago, the Texans were 11-1 and likely victors, but it all fell apart. And fast. The Patriots and Texans then met again in the playoffs this past January, at which point New England punched Houston’s ticket to the off-season faster than you can say “that’s a bad omen for next season.” Meanwhile, Patriots QB Tom Brady is finally hitting his stride this year, with a QBR at #15 that’s continuing to rise with each passing week and performances that look more and more like the type one would expect from the all-pro quarterback.
Indeed, Brady’s numbers for the season don’t imply greatness, but it’s his late-game heroics and late-season acceleration that’s got opposing defenses (like Houston’s) worried. For the season, Brady has completed 257 of his 430 passes, producing 2,896 yards and 17 touchdowns. But it’s not been until his games since Oct. 20, when tight end Rob Gronkowski made his return to the field for the first time this season, that Brady really started putting up meaningful statistics. With Gronk joining a receiving corp that also includes Aaron Dobson, Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola and Kenbrell Thompkins, Brady has as many productive targets as he’s had all season. And he’s even got running back Shane Vereen to take some pressure of the passing game from time to time as well.
With that said, the Texans have the NFL’s top-ranked defense, so Brady will have his hands full today when you watch Patriots vs Texans online free today at 1pm EST / 10am PST. More accurately, Brady’s offensive line may have its hands full, particularly against the Texans’ J.J. Watt, who has 9.5 sacks and three forced fumbles so far this season. With Patriots running back Stevan Ridley having lost three fumbles during the past three games, it’s fair to say Watt and the rest of the Texans defense is waiting to clog the hole and see what they can pull together.
Defense alone won’t win games, however, and that’s where the Texans will certainly struggle against the Patriots. Quarterback Matt Schaub has been out since Week 6 with a foot and ankle injury, which on the surface wouldn’t seem so bad considering he became the first QB in NFL history to throw pick-sixes in four consecutive games. However, rookie QB Case Keenum has taken over and played well, but not well enough to get the Texans a victory, particularly in the second half. And against the Patriots, a team that excels in second-half play and is coming off the biggest second-half comeback in recent NFL history — against the Denver Broncos, no less — that second-half track record is a damper to Houston’s chances today against New England.
You can watch Patriots vs Texans online free on DirecTV’s website if you have the NFL Sunday Ticket with MAX Package. The package requires a subscription, but anyone who has one can watch the live streaming version free of any game, including today’s 1:00pm EST / 10:00am PST live NFL game between the New England Patriots and Houston Texans.
