Patriots host Texans in AFC Divisional Round with defenses taking center stage

Cbssports reports the No. 2-seeded New England Patriots will host the No. 5-seeded Houston Texans at Gillette Stadium on Sunday in the AFC Divisional Round, with kickoff set for 3 p.m. ET; both teams leaned on strong defensive performances in their Wild Card wins.

New England dominated the Los Angeles Chargers 16-3, recording six sacks of Justin Herbert, allowing 207 yards of total offense and holding Los Angeles to 1-of-10 on third down. Houston broke open a tight game in the second half to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 30-6, allowing just 175 yards and 3.1 yards per play while scoring two late defensive touchdowns and overcoming a three-turnover performance from quarterback C.J. Stroud. New England is a three-point home favorite and the over/under sits at 40.5, per the latest DraftKings odds.

Betting profiles listed opening win totals at 8.5 for both clubs; the Texans finished the regular season 12-5 (10-7 ATS, 7-10 O/U) after a nine-game winning streak, while the Patriots were 14-3 (11-6 ATS, 9-8 O/U). A recommended prop in the source is C.J. Stroud Over 0.5 interceptions, citing his shaky decision-making and snap issues (five total fumbles noted) in the Wild Card game, though the piece also notes Stroud has led Houston to the Divisional Round in each of his three seasons as a starter.

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Sports, New England Patriots, Houston Texans, Gillette Stadium, C.j. Stroud, Drake Maye