GAME SUMMARY
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (1-3) AT HOUSTON TEXANS (1-3)
Sunday, October 10, 2021 • NRG Stadium (71,995) • 1:00 p.m. ET
For the third straight year, the New England Patriots will travel to the Houston Texans, as they begin two consecutive games against Texas teams. The Patriots will host Dallas the following week.The Patriots will play Houston for the seventh straight season despite not being in the same division. That mark is tied for the second-longest streak of games against a non-division opponent for New England. The Patriots faced Indianapolis for 10 straight seasons (2003-12) and Denver for seven straight seasons (2011-17). The only other non-division teams to meet at least seven consecutive seasons since 2002 were Buffalo and Kansas City, who played eight straight seasons from 2008-15.
SERIES HISTORY
The Patriots will face Houston for the seventh straight year in the regular season and for the third straight year in Houston. The Patriots have lost the last two seasons in Houston, including a 27-20 loss on Nov. 22, 2020. The Patriots are 4-2 against the Texans over the six previous regular season games.
In 2016, the Patriots and Texans played two times with New England taking a 27-0 victory on Sept. 22 and a 34-16 win in the Divisional Playoffs. Both of those games were played at Gillette Stadium.
Overall, the Patriots have met Houston 13 times and hold an 10-3 advantage since Houston entered the NFL in 2002, including 8-3 in the regular season and 2-0 in the postseason.
The Patriots are 3-3 overall against the Texans when playing in Houston.
Before the Texans joined the league, the Patriots and the Houston Oilers were foes dating back to the days of the American Football League, playing twice a year from 1960-69 and 33 times overall before the Oilers moved to Tennessee following the 1996 season.
What To Look for this Week
IF THE PATRIOTS WIN…
• And a player eclipses 100 yards rushing, the team will improve to 54-4 since the 2000 regular season when a player rushes for at least 100 yards. WHAT TO LOOK FOR…
• The Patriots have gone 90 straight games (regular and postseason) scoring in the first half, an NFL record. The Patriots also own the second-longest streak at 82 games with a first-half score (2006-11). The last time the Patriots failed to score in the first half was a 16-0 loss at home against Buffalo on Oct. 2, 2016.
