Pats Pulpit: A New England Patriots Community
The New England Patriots will have a full 53-man roster on hand against the Houston Texans. The organization announced the activation of cornerback Alex Austin from injured reserve on the eve of Sunday’s divisional round. Austin, 24, went on injured reserve due to a wrist injury in November and saw his 21-day practice window open […]
19 days ago | 5 reads
The Houston Texans were the first team Drake Maye faced as an NFL starting quarterback, but a lot has changed since Week 6 of the 2024 season. Maye is a legitimate MVP candidate now, who has helped the New England Patriots recapture the AFC East and return to the postseason. The Texans, meanwhile, have taken […]
19 days ago | 1 read
The New England Patriots have been able to keep mistakes at a minimum this season, but there were some hiccups lately: against the Los Angeles Chargers in the wild card round of the playoffs, the team of head coach Mike Vrabel turned to the ball over twice. While this did not prevent them from still […]
20 days ago | 3 reads
The Houston Texans will take on the New England Patriots on Sunday without star wide receiver Nico Collins. After suffering a concussion in Houston’s wild card victory, Collins was officially ruled out Friday after missing the entire week of practice. A Pro Bowler each of the last two seasons, Collins led Houston in 2025 with […]
20 days ago | 2 reads
A pair of New England Patriots will officially be questionable for the divisional round. Running back Terrell Jennings and outside linebacker Harold Landry III have been assigned that game designation ahead of the Houston Texans matchup, as head coach Mike Vrabel announced during his final press conference of the week. But cornerback Christian Gonzalez has […]
20 days ago | 2 reads
The New England Patriots defense played its best game of the season in the wild card playoff round against the Los Angeles Chargers, giving up only three points and 207 yards of offense. The secret was in the unit’s aggressiveness. Whether it was sending blitzers after Justin Herbert and an outmatched offensive line, or throwing […]
20 days ago | 1 read
TEAM TALK LOCAL LINKS NATIONAL NEWS VIEW FROM HOUSTON
20 days ago | 2 reads
The last time the New England Patriots played against the Houston Texans was a coming-out party for wide receiver Kayshon Boutte. Following a quiet rookie season and uneventful start to his sophomore campaign, he finished with 59 receiving yards and a touchdown on three catches. The numbers do not jump off the page all while […]
20 days ago | 3 reads
The New England Patriots are on to the divisional round after winning their first playoff game since Super Bowl LIII. Now, they welcome a top ranked Houston Texans defense to Foxborough with a trip to the AFC Championship Game on the line. With that, let’s get into this week’s #PostPulpit Mailbag. What is the best […]
20 days ago | 1 read
Khyiris Tonga has missed the team’s last three games with a foot injury. But, the Patriots defensive lineman is on the path towards returning for this weekend’s divisional-round playoff game against Houston. “I’m optimistic,” Tonga said Thursday. “Still meeting with trainers every day, but I feel good.” Returning to the practice field on Wednesday in […]
20 days ago | 2 reads
Patriots quarterback Drake Maye has been quick to correct mistakes this season. In his playoff debut, the mistakes included Maye losing a fumble — while putting another ball on the ground — despite a 16-3 win. As the attention has turned to correcting those for round two, offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels is confident that his […]
21 days ago | 1 read
The New England Patriots continued work on the Houston Texans with perfect attendance. Offensive tackles Morgan Moses and Thayer Munford Jr. returned for Thursday’s practice after knee ailments kept both sidelined to begin the week. Elsewhere in Foxborough, running back Terrell Jennings and cornerback Christian Gonzalez shed red non-contact jerseys while phasing through the NFL’s […]
21 days ago | 0 reads
Now that we’re full-on into the playoffs, it’s time to stop looking in the rearview with our Secret Superstars series, and start looking forward to the next game with postseason X-Factors. The principle is the same — using game tape and metrics to uncover those hidden gems for every team who are primed to bring […]
21 days ago | 3 reads
TEAM TALK LOCAL LINKS NATIONAL NEWS
21 days ago | 1 read
The Houston Texans have a “pick your poison”-type of defense. The unit led by first-team All-Pros Will Anderson Jr. and Derek Stingley Jr. is good in the front and in the backend, stout against the run and devastating against the pass. It is as complete a defense as any in football right now, and the […]
21 days ago | 0 reads
While his departure from Buffalo a year earlier was messy, Stefon Diggs leaving the Houston Texans for the New England Patriots during the 2025 offseason was devoid of any drama. Leading into this week’s divisional playoff meeting between his current and former team, controversy is therefore not on the menu for Diggs. As he told […]
21 days ago | 1 read
Even though it was tightly contested for much of the night, the New England Patriots’ wild card playoff contest against the Los Angeles Chargers was won with relative ease. The offense kept making enough plays to overcome its miscues, while their defense was lights-out and never allowed L.A. a chance to get back into the […]
21 days ago | 2 reads
Patriots left tackle Will Campbell knows his playoff debut was not perfect. He does not, however, pay attention to those who say so online. “Honestly, I don’t give a [expletive] what anyone says,” Campbell said Wednesday. “It’s easy to type behind a Twitter account that is fake. I hold myself to the highest expectation of […]
21 days ago | 2 reads
This week’s slate of NFL playoff games will feature a familiar pairing. For the third time in the last 14 years, the New England Patriots will play hosts to the Houston Texans in the divisional round. The matchup is one the Patriots have some fond memories of. They won both of the previous meetings in […]
21 days ago | 1 read
As Mike Vrabel stood in front of his team on Wednesday, he posed a simple question: Raise your hand if you were still playing football at this time last year. In a full room, only defensive tackle Milton Williams raised his hand. It was an eye-opening moment for quarterback Drake Maye. “There’s 24 teams at […]
22 days ago | 4 reads
The New England Patriots set sights on the AFC divisional round without two. Offensive tackles Morgan Moses and Thayer Munford Jr. stayed sidelined during Wednesday’s preparations for the Houston Texans due to knee ailments. But there were returnees in Foxborough. Running back Terrell Jennings, nose tackle Khyiris Tonga, cornerback Christian Gonzalez were all back on […]
22 days ago | 1 read
Darrell Taylor will go from the No. 5 seed to the No. 2 seed in the AFC. The New England Patriots officially added the former Houston Texans defensive end to the practice squad on Wednesday, as first reported by NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport. Taylor, 28, cleared waivers and became a free agent the afternoon prior. […]
22 days ago | 1 read
As the New England Patriots headed back to the practice fields on Wednesday, so did Terrell Jennings in a red non-contact jersey. The running back’s 21-day activation window has officially been opened as the AFC divisional round closes in. Jennings, 24, entered the NFL’s concussion protocol prior to halftime against the New York Giants as […]
22 days ago | 5 reads
The New England Patriots started the on-field preparation for their upcoming divisional playoff game against the Houston Texans on Wednesday, and one of their most important players was part of the proceedings. Wearing a red non-contact jersey, starting cornerback Christian Gonzalez was present during the short media window at the start of the session. While […]
22 days ago | 1 read
The AFC divisional round’s connections do not end with executive vice president and general manager Nick Caserio. Nor do they end with a coaching staff featuring Nick Caley, Cole Popovich, Jerry Schuplinski and even Ben McDaniels. Not with the scouting, personnel and development likes of D.J. Debick, Steve Cargile, Shane Vereen and André Davis, either. […]
22 days ago | 5 reads