The New England Patriots will once again be appearing in a national primetime game as they travel to face the Houston Texans in a Week 13 Sunday Night Football matchup. New England, winners of two straight, have found a resurgence in its defense after its 37-20 Week 9 loss in Baltimore. The defense will have yet another challenge in slowing down a Deshaun Watson-led Houston offense, which sits at No.7 in total offensive production in the league.

Here are six things that Patriots fans should know about the Texans, the leaders of the AFC South.

1. Watch out for Deshaun Watson.

It seems like every week the New England defense faces off against an elite quarterback. Last week it was Dak Prescott. In Week 11 it was Carson Wentz. And, in Week 9 it was Lamar Jackson. The trend continues this week with the Patriots facing off against Deshaun Watson.

The third-year dual threat quarterback is proving that Houston knew what it was doing by selecting Watson with its first-round draft pick in 2017. Watson is in the top 10 amongst quarterbacks in throwing yards (2899), touchdown passes (20), and rushing yards (301).

The Patriots slowed Dak Prescott down last week but that was in rainy and cold conditions at home last week. It will be a true telling point in just how good this defense really is if it can prevent Watson from having a big game in Houston.

2. Carlos Hyde and Duke Johnson help elevate the elite Houston rushing attack.

Not only will New England need to worry about Watson on the ground, the Patriots defense can’t forget about running backs Carlos Hyde and Duke Johnson. Add all three together and the Texans have the no. 6 rushing attack in the entire league, averaging 136.9 yards per game.

Hyde is more productive on the ground than Johnson, while Johnson is a more efficient pass catcher. Hyde has ran for 836 yards, the 11th most in the league. Johnson has 240 reception yards and a pair of receiving touchdowns.

3. Led by DeAndre Hopkins and Will Fuller, the Texans have a deep receiving unit.

Yes, the rushing attack accounts for a big part of Houston’s offensive production, but the Texans have perhaps one of the deepest receiving units led by DeAndre Hopkins and Will Fuller.

Hopkins is arguably the most athletically gifted receivers in the game, making hard catches look routine on a regular basis. Currently, Hopkins is no. 13 in receiving yards with 839 and the second-most targeted receiver with 112 targets. Stephon Gilmore will look to shut him out after shutting out talented Amari Cooper last week.

Fuller missed several games in October but has returned from injury. In a Week 5 game against Atlanta, Fuller posted a ridiculous 217-yard, 14-catch, 3-touchdown performance. The odds of him replicating a similar performance against New England are low, but the Patriots still need to focus on him.

4. The Texans defense is beatable.

Tom Brady and the rest of the Patriots offense have run into some of the most elite defenses in the league this past month. The offense gets a relief this week against a beatable Houston defense.

Through 11 games, the Texans are allowing the 16th-most points per game at 22.6 and the 13th-most yards per game at 367.3. Although the Patriots had their troubles slowing down Lamar Jackson in Week 9, the Texans fared even worse, allowing 41 points to Baltimore in a lopsided 41-7 Week 11 loss.

5. Bill O’Brien faces off against his old team

Houston head coach Bill O’Brien spent time working for Bill Belichick from 2007 to 2011 prior to taking over the Texans head coaching reins in 2014.

O’Brien will look to guide Houston to its first win against New England during his head coaching tenure. The Patriots have won five straight against O’Brien and eight overall against the Texans. The closest O’Brien has come to defeating his former team was in a Week 3 36-33 loss in 2017.

6. New England is successful in Houston.

The last four games between the two teams have taken place at Gillette Stadium, with New England winning all four of those contests. The last time the Patriots traveled to Houston was in 2015 when they won in a Week 14 matchup. New England has won two straight at Reliant Stadium after infamously losing in Week 17 in 2010 when Wes Welker tore his ACL.