The Houston Texans face off against the New England Patriots Sunday night at 7:20 p.m. CT at NRG Stadium in what is considered a litmus test for where the first place AFC South club ranks against the best of the conference.
Offensive coordinator Tim Kelly knows what makes the Patriots a tough team to face, especially their defense, which is the second-best defense in the NFL and also the most proficient at creating takeaways with 29 on the season.
“They’re very disciplined, they’re very well coached,” Kelly told reporters on Wednesday. “They play hard to the echo of the whistle, all 11 of them, and they’re very opportunistic. They take advantage of your mistakes. They’re lighting the world on fire when it comes to creating turnovers right now, and they’re doing a good job of capitalizing, like I said, when people make mistakes. That’s really the reason why they’re playing really well right now.”
Houston is tied with the Jacksonville Jaguars for the 13th-fewest turnovers in the NFL with 14. In the Texans’ past three games, they have committed at least one turnover. For the Patriots defense, they have created at least one takeaway in every game this season, including six against the New York Jets in Week 7.
If the Texans can’t avoid the Patriots defense procuring extra possession, then the Houston defense will have to limit New England’s point production off those turnovers or create a few themselves. In 2019, the Texans are 5-3 when they are even or minus in turnover differential compared to 2-1 when they win it outright.
New England’s lone loss of the season, a 37-20 affair against the Baltimore Ravens, saw the first place AFC East club finish even with the Ravens in the turnover battle with each side collecting two takeaways. Houston similarly will have to stay even or better in the turnover department to give themselves a chance for victory.