New England Patriots: 3 Players that must shine vs. Texans, Week 13
Before the New England Patriots take on the Houston Texans in Week 13 on Sunday, here are three players that will have to step up and shine in the game.
The New England Patriots head into a fresh week in Week 13 of the 2019 NFL regular season still sitting atop the AFC and NFL standings in the home stretch of the year. The Patriots have returned to their dominant selves less than a year removed from winning yet another Super Bowl title in 2018.
While maintaining one of the best records in the league and riding a two-game winning streak, New England will hit the road to face off against the Houston Texans on Sunday afternoon at NRG Stadium in Houston.
The Patriots will enter the game with a record of 10-1 on the season and are 5-1 on the road so far in the 2019 campaign, coming off of a low-scoring victory at home against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 12 last Sunday.
In that game, New England was able to jump out to an early lead in the opening half of the game and was able to hold off Dallas for a remainder of the contest to improve to a perfect 5-0 at home at Gillette Stadium this year while grabbing its 10th victory of the regular season schedule.
The Patriots, who come into Week 13 at 10-1 overall, remain atop the AFC East standings ahead of the Buffalo Bills (9-3 overall), New York Jets (4-7) and Miami Dolphins (2-9). New England also sits as the top team in the AFC ahead of the Baltimore Ravens (9-2), Bills, Texans (7-4) and Kansas City Chiefs (7-4).
On the other side of the field on Sunday afternoon, the Patriots will take on a Houston squad that is also one of the top teams in the AFC, coming in at 7-4 overall to sit atop the AFC South standings ahead of the Indianapolis Colts (6-5), Tennessee Titans (6-5) and Jacksonville Jaguars (4-7).
The Texans, who are coming off of a 20-17 win over the Colts in Week 12 of the regular season, remain behind the Patriots, Ravens and Bills in the AFC standings to this point in the year.
Prior to the two AFC powerhouses battling it out in an important game in Week 13 of the regular season this Sunday in Houston, let’s take a look at three players that are going to have to string together solid performances for the Patriots in order for them to come out on top on the road.