Pats Pulpit
The New England Patriots were one of the worst teams in football each of the last two seasons. Fortunes can change quickly in the NFL, however, and on Sunday, the team of first-year head coach Mike Vrabel will compete for a spot in the AFC Championship Game.
Between them and the conference title game, however, stands the team with the longest win streak in the league. The Houston Texans have not lost a game in over two months, and are fresh off a 30-6 dismantling of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Let’s take a closer look at them.
Any conversation about the 2025 Texans needs to start with one word: defense. The unit has been exceptional so far, and a big reason why some of the numbers to follow look the way they are.
Record: 12-5 (2nd AFC South/5th AFC)
Scoring differential: +109 (6th)
Turnover differential: +17 (2nd)
Offense: 23.8 points/game (13th), 327.0 yards/game (18th), 12 giveaways (2nd), -0.008 EPA/play (22nd), 0.083 EPA/dropback (17th), -0.149 EPA/run (30th)
Defense: 17.4 points/game (2nd), 277.2 yards/game (1st), 29 takeaways (3rd), -0.108 EPA/play (2nd), -0.100 EPA/dropback (1st), -0.124 EPA/run (3rd)
The Patriots went up against a very good Los Angeles Chargers defense in the wild card round, but this one is a different beast. No matter the statistical category you look at, there is a high chance Houston is within at least the top 5 if not at the very top. Among the first-place rankings are the aforementioned yards per game (277.2) and expected points added per dropback (-0.100) as well as scoring percentage (27.6%), first downs (16.2/game), starting field position (27.4) and time per drive (2:35).
The other side of the ball has not played on the same level (which, in fairness, is hard to achieve for any unit). That said, is has avoided putting the defense in unfavorable situations by giving the ball away only 12 times and scoring either touchdowns or field goals on 42.9% of possessions (11th).
Houston qualified for the playoffs as the second-ranked team in the AFC South behind Jacksonville, and the fifth seed in the conference overall. The team accomplished all that despite a slow first half of the season.
After an 0-3 start, the Texans found themselves at just 3-5 halfway through the season. From that point on, however, the team turned the heat up and has not turned it back down ever since.
Week 1: 14-9 loss at Los Angeles Rams (0-1)
Week 2: 20-19 loss vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-2)
Week 3: 17-10 loss at Jacksonville Jaguars (0-3)
Week 4: 26-0 win vs. Tennessee Titans (1-3)
Week 5: 44-10 win at Baltimore Ravens (2-3)
Week 6: Bye
Week 7: 27-19 loss at Seattle Seahawks (2-4)
Week 8: 26-15 win vs. San Francisco 49ers (3-4)
Week 9: 18-15 loss vs. Denver Broncos (3-5)
Week 10: 36-29 win vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-5)
Week 11: 16-13 win at Tennessee Titans (5-5)
Week 12: 23-19 win vs. Buffalo Bills (6-5)
**Week...
