Texans guide to the game against the Patriots


Nothing was going right for the Texans when they played the Patriots in the regular season. ( Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle )

1. How are the Texans going to keep from getting embarrassed like they did in the 42-14 loss at New England last month?
In that game, they made every mental and physical mistake possible. Penalties at the worst time killed them. On the first drive, they were stopped on third down. But Brandon Harris was called for a penalty, giving the Patriots a first down. They scored. On the Texans’ second series, Matt Schaub drove them down the field and was intercepted in the end zone. It was their only turnover. J.J. Watt forced a fumble that went into the end zone, but the Patriots fell on it for a touchdown rather than the Texans getting a touchback. The Patriots capitalized on a long touchdown pass when Glover Quin bit on a play fake. The Texans have to avoid penalties and mental mistakes.

2. If the Texans couldn’t stop tight end Aaron Hernandez, how are they going to stop Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski, the best tight end in the league?
The best way to stop Tom Brady, Wes Welker and the tight ends is to do what the Texans do best — control the ball. They led the NFL in time of possession for the second year in a row. In the 19-13 victory over Cincinnati, they controlled the ball for almost 39 minutes. The fewer times Brady is on the field, the less damage he can do. As it was against the Bengals, the key is the offensive line. The linemen played their best game against Cincinnati. And the Bengals have a better defense than New England. Matt Schaub has to be accurate on short and intermediate passes. The linemen have to keep him upright. They also have to clear a path for Arian Foster, who touched the ball 40 times in the wild-card round. If the Texans can’t control it, Brady will look at Gronkowski and Hernandez all over the field. Hernandez had eight catches, including two short touchdowns, in the first game.

3. Do you see the Texans winning if their red-zone offense continues to struggle like it has in recent games?
Gary Kubiak, Rick Dennison and Matt Schaub know if they fail to score touchdowns and settle for short Shayne Graham field goals, they’re doomed to fail. Through the first 13 games, including New England, they scored touchdowns at a 62.5 percent clip. In their last four games, including the victory over the Bengals, they’ve scored touchdowns on 23 percent of their trips into the red zone. What’s the problem? It starts with Kubiak and Schaub. Kubiak has to call quick-hitting plays, and if nobody’s open quick, he has to have options other than throwing the ball into the stands. Schaub is no threat to run, which helps the defense, but the Texans were doing an exceptional job through most of the season. When they get inside the 5, they should run Arian Foster. Kubiak is not the kind of gambler to go for it on fourth-and-goal rather than take the short field goal, and he’s not going to change.

4. How much pressure is on Matt Schaub in this game?
Since almost everybody in the country thinks the Texans are going to lose, it wouldn’t seem like much. But Schaub is the quarterback, and he’s going to get most of the blame if they lose. A lot of fans blame him for the collapse at the end of the season. He has thrown one touchdown pass in five games. The Texans need for him to play like he played at Denver — four touchdown passes and 296 yards. That was so long ago a lot of fans have forgotten about that performance. He has been good at avoiding turnovers, but when he has suffered interceptions it seems like they’re big ones, like the one in the end zone at New England that would have made it 7-7 and the one against Cincinnati that was returned for the Bengals’ only touchdown. Schaub has to be smart; don’t force it. But he also needs to be more accurate than he has been. Don’t throw high-risk passes like bombs down the sideline. The Texans never complete those. The best long ones are on crossing routes.

5. The Patriots’ defense isn’t as good as Cincinnati’s defense, and the Texans beat them, so why can’t they score against New England and pull the upset?
The Texans generated 420 yards against the Bengals, who finished second in the NFL in sacks but got shut out by the Texans’ pass blockers. Duane Brown was particularly outstanding, but the others were terrific. They need that kind of performance, which includes run blocking. They had only 323 yards at New England, including 100 rushing. They fell behind 21-0 in the second quarter, and the running game wasn’t a priority for the Patriots. Without an effective running game, it took away the play-action bootlegs that Matt Schaub does so well. He was sacked twice. Vince Wilfork was so disruptive against the run and pass, they couldn’t do anything consistently. Chris Myers has to provide help for rotating rookie right guards Ben Jones and Brandon Brooks. The Texans have to make big plays. New England allowed 74 plays of at least 20 yards this season, by far the most among playoff teams. The Texans allowed 54. The Texans had six 20-plus plays in the first game but couldn’t turn them into touchdowns.

Texans players to watch

J.J. Watt, defensive end
Watt failed to get a sack at New England. Part of the reason was the Patriots have a solid plan to keep him away from Brady. Watt needs to take charge of the defense. He has to be disruptive against both the run and pass.

Owen Daniels, tight end
Everybody’s talking about the New England tight ends, but Daniels caught nine passes for 91 yards in the victory over Cincinnati. Matt Schaub needs to have Daniels working the middle of the field and coming up big on third down.

Patriots players to watch

Wes Welker, receiver
He didn’t have a good game in the Patriots’ 42-14 victory. He caught three passes for 52 yards and dropped at least two. He wants to make up for it. Welker is the ideal slot receiver — quick and smart with outstanding hands.

Vince Wilfork, nose tackle
Wilfork has enjoyed an exceptional season. He was superb in the first game against the Texans. He’s quick for his size. He’s got incredible strength. When he plays hard, he’s impossible for one player to stop because he’s relentless.

Texans leaders
Matt Schaub
4,008 yards

Arian Foster
1,424 yards

Andre Johnson
1,598 yards

Glover Quin
84 tackles

Patriots leaders
Tom Brady
4,827 yards

Stevan Ridley
1,263 yards

Wes Welker
1,354 yards

Jerod Mayo
147 tackles

John McClain

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