FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) – The Houston Texans face an enormous challenge against the New England Patriots on Saturday night.
The Texans are 1-7 against the Patriots. They are winless in New England all time, including a shutout loss earlier this season when Tom Brady was out because of a suspension.
The Patriots enter the game as 15 1/2-point favorites over the visiting Texans – just the sixth time since 1966 that a team has been favored by at least 15 points in a playoff game.
In the five previous occasions only one underdog – the New York Jets in Joe Namath’s Super Bowl guarantee – won the game.
New England says it isn’t taking anything for granted in the divisional-round matchup against the NFL’s top-ranked defense.