The Houston Texans and the New England Patriots will meet on Sunday Night Football for one of the more exciting matchups of Week 13. Football fans should be thankful for another bout between a young gun in Deshaun Watson and the old guard in Tom Brady.
series facts
1. The Texans are 7-4 for the first time in team history.
2. Since 1990, when playoff formats were last tinkered with, 68/124 teams that started 7-5 made the playoffs with 24 of them having won the division.
3. Since 1990, when playoff formats were last reformatted, 83/102 teams that started 8-4 made the playoffs with 44 of those teams having won the division.
4. The Patriots are 10-1 for the third time in team history. The two previous teams made the playoffs (2015, 2004) with the 2004 team having won the Super Bowl. Neither achieved home-field advantage.
5. Since 1990, when playoff formats were last reformatted, here are the final fates of 11-1 teams:
Lost divisional 7/18
Lost conference title game: 7/18
Lost Super Bowl: 2/18
Won Super Bowl: 2/18
6. Since 1990, when playoff formats were last tinkered with, here are the final fates of 10-2 teams:
Lost wild-card: 2/42
Lost divisional: 9/42
Lost conference title game: 13/42
Lost Super Bowl: 8/42
Won Super Bowl: 10/42
7. The Texans are 1-10 against the Texans with a 1-3 mark at home.
8. The Texans are 14-23 in prime time games with a 9-10 record at home.
9. The Patriots are 71-50 in prime time games with a 32-33 record on the road.
10. The Texans are 32-44 in December games with an 18-16 record at home.
11. The Patriots are 127-88 in December games, including playoffs, with a 60-62 record on the road.
12. The Patriots are 37-42-1 in the Central Time Zone, including playoffs, with a 7-6 record in prime time.