AFC Game Of The Week
Texans (11-1) at Patriots (9-3)
Texans: I've stated this many times this year. The Texans are the most complete team in the National Football League. They are balanced offensively, they can run the ball and win the time of possession battle and running the ball effectively will set up the pass and they do that pretty well too. Andre is still an elite WR in the game today and has shown it with some big time games as of late. Defensively, this unit has been fantastic under Wade Phillips. JJ Watt will be one of the front runners for the defensive MVP and they're also good on special teams as well. What a difference having key guys healthy makes as well. I felt the Texans could've been where they're at now a season ago if Schaub didn't go down with an injury. Monday night, they face the kings of the AFC. Can Houston get another big road win?
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Patriots: They're clicking right now and clicking at the right time. After a very shaky start, the Patriots have won six games in a row and have clinched the AFC East for the ninth time in ten seasons under Bill Belichick which is unbelievable. This offense hasn't missed a beat since their second best offensive weapon in Gronk went down with a broken forearm. Brady was my MVP pick from the beginning and I'm sticking with it. Defensively, I won't say I believe in the Patriots but they've improved in certain aspects of the game and Aqib Talib has been such a good pick up for them. He's a shut down corner who can get a key interception and cover the other teams go to guy. We could be seeing an AFC playoff preview on Monday night. Can the Patriots keep their winning streak going?
Prediction: Let's look at it this way. The Patriots haven't seen a team like the Texans and the Texans haven't seen a team like the Patriots so this calls for a great match up. For Houston to win, Arian Foster must get his touches early and keep that prolific Patriot offense on the sidelines. Control the line of scrimmage. For the Patriots to win, they must run the ball. When Ridley gets going, this offense is much better and much balanced. I like the Patriots to keep the winning streak going. Patriots 31 Texans 24
