They may be heavy underdogs, but Houston Texans head coach Bill O’Brien still believes his side can cause an upset in New England.
It was back in week three that the Texans travelled to New England in search of victory. On that occasion, there was plenty of reason for optimism.
Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was still serving a four-game suspension, and the visitors had three-time Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt at their disposal, to put rookie QB Jacoby Brissett under pressure.
However, it was Bill Belichick's Patriots that left Foxboro with the win, a 27-0 shutout to add insult to injury and send the Texans home with the tail between their legs.
This time around, the two meet in the play-offs, but under different circumstances. Although both teams finished top of their respective divisions, the Patriots cantered to a 14-2 finish, landing the AFC's top seed and a Wild Card weekend bye week.
In contrast, Houston laboured to a 9-7 record, triumphing in a poor division. Quarterback issues dominated the season, as expensive free-agent acquisition Brock Osweiler struggled to command the Texans offence. The organisation relied on a Watt-less defence, which stepped up as Jadeveon Clowney and Whitney Mercilus took centre stage.
Osweiler lasted until week 15 before he was benched for Tom Savage, but the back-up suffered a concussion in the following week, handing the reins back to Osweiler.
After a comfortable victory against the Oakland Raiders last week, in which the visitors were forced to debut their third string rookie QB, the Texans now face a full-strength Patriots team, on the road, for a place in the AFC Championship game.
Opening the week as 16-point favourites, there is little to get Houston fans excited about the mismatch. Clowney and Mercilus represent the team's best chance, if they can put Brady under pressure.
Head coach Bill O'Brien remains bullish about his team's chances, and believes that if they can stick to their game plan, they have a chance.
"It's all about your role in the game, and how you're approaching your role", said O'Brien. "If we can take care of the ball, anything can happen in the play-offs.
"If we go up there and they come out fast, and we're behind, it's going to be a long night. But we have to play with confidence, be aggressive and see what happens."
The Texans coaching staff boast a number of former Patriots, including O'Brien. They won't want to be embarrassed like in week three, but this will have to be the Texans' game of the season if they are to pull off one of the biggest upsets in NFL play-off history.
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