TEAM TALK
- Game Preview: Texans at Patriots.
- Conference Call Transcripts: Bill Belichick - Josh McDaniels - Matt Patricia.
- Patriots Locker Room Quotes.
- Angelique Fiske reports Robert Kraft was in Hollywood attending the Golden Globes Sunday night.
- One More postseason run begins: "We’re all back to 0-0 now. We start a whole new season. We just have to keep grinding." (1 min. video)
- Gillette Stadium: Divisional playoff field prep. (1 min. video)
- Patriots Press Pass: 'Only the best teams are left'. (2 min. video)
- Celebrating 2001: Farewell to Foxboro Stadium. (5.08 min. video)
LOCAL LINKS
- Mark Daniels assures us that Tom Brady won't be taking the Texans or their 'damn good defense' lightly.
- Michael Hurley looks at how the Patriots' playoff loss to the Jets can apply vs. the Texans.
- Mike Petraglia makes the case why everyone should be taking the Texans seriously Saturday.
- CSNNE Quick Slants guest Devin McCourty talks about using the 2011 loss to the Jets as a learning experience and cautionary tale. (2.08 min. video)
- Matt Burke comes up with three reasons the Texans could keep it close on Saturday. 1. Remember the Jets.
- Kevin Duffy notes Bill Belichick talked up the Houston Texans' ability to win close games.
- Jeff Howe brings up how this season has truly validated Dont’a Hightower’s worth to the Patriots.
- Mike Dussault (PatsPropaganda) Pats Posits: The playoffs are here. The opponent is set. It’s go time...
- Matt Dolloff thinks that if the Texans want to even make it interesting against the Patriots, they will need a huge game from Jadeveon Clowney.
- WCVB5 puts out five fast facts ahead of Saturday's matchup: 4. This will be the Patriots’ 20th AFC Divisional Round game.
- Nick O'Malley looks at how the Patriots went from slight underdogs in Week 3 to huge favorites in the playoffs.
- Mike Reiss points out that of the 53 players on the roster, 19 have never appeared in a playoff game , and nine-year veteran Chris Long is one of them.
- Ryan Hannable says that based on off-field events of last week, it's apparent why the Patriots are favorites to win the AFC.
- Jeff Howe hears from Josh McDaniels and Matt Patricia on their appreciation for the interview process.
- Jeff Howe Patriots Notebook: Coordinators back at their jobs after a weekend of interviews.
- The Herald analyzes the matchups: Pats defensive front vs. RB Lamar Miller.
- Chris Mason looks at Jadeveon Clowney, and how he has gone from potential bust to pass-rushing beast in his third season.
- Chris Mason Texans Notes: Bill O’Brien not moved by big betting line for Patriots.
NATIONAL NEWS
- Zach Petersel (Forbes) Don't be fooled: Houston Texans may keep game close vs. New England Patriots.
- Brett Smiley (Fox Sports) 7 things that have changed since the Patriots beat the Texans in Week 3.
- Vinnie Iyer (Sporting News) Patriots have never seen Tom Brady play better than this.
- Kevin Patra (NFL.com) Tom Brady: 'Nothing easy' about the Texans' defense.
- Conor Orr (NFL.com) O'Brien: Patriots will 'bury you' if too many mistakes.
- Doug Kyed tells us how the Patriots neutralized DeAndre Hopkins in the Pats' Week 3 shutout.
- Cameron DaSilva (Fox Sports) Tom Brady relates to Giants’ Miami trip, admits he did things he regrets.
- Darin Gantt (ProFootballTalk) Tom Brady respects that Bill O’Brien "let me have it."
- Sara Jane Harris (Sporting News) Ruthless Patriots fan won't let ESPN use his photo of Bill Belichick on boat. /Ruthless? I call him loyal.
- Jon Ledyard (Inside The Pylon) 2016 Contextualizing sack production results.
- Melissa Jacobs (SI) Week Under Review: Concussion protocol remains unreliable after Matt Moore's hit.
- Ben Austro (Football Zebras) Postseason assignments use mixed crews, not all-star crews.
- Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Steratore, Morelli, Cheffers, Corrente to serve as divisional round referees.
- Gregg Rosenthal (NFL.com) Post-loss fixes for Giants, Raiders, Dolphins, Lions.
- Bill Barnwell (ESPN) Ranking the easiest paths to the Super Bowl. "The Patriots have the easiest path to Houston because they're guaranteed a game against Houston." /Guaranteed?
- Vinnie Iyer (Sporting News) Patriots vs. Texans: Picks, predictions for divisional playoff game in New England.
- John Breech (CBS Sports) 2017 NFL Playoffs divisional picks.
VIEW FROM HOUSTON
- Aaron Wilson (Houston Chronicle) Bill O'Brien: Huge point spread not in Texans' motivational plans.
- John McClain (Houston Chronicle) Texans not thinking about previous meetings with Patriots.
- Drew Dougherty (HoustonTexans) Bill O'Brien explains approach to facing Patriots.
- John McClain (Houston Chronicle) Texans must do better job of stopping Patriots' running game.
- Deepi Sidhu (HoustonTexans) Tom Savage to return this week.
- Kristie Rieken (AP) Texans look for improvement ahead of rematch with Patriots.
DUMPSTER DIVE
- Steve Buckley would love to see Roger Goodell march out to the field before the game, accompanied by Darth Vader music, and give Patriots fans a chance to vent.
- Will Green (LegalSportsReport) Non-profit group sues NFL after moving charity event away from Las Vegas casino.
- Sophia Rosenbaum and Bruce Golding (NY Post) Giants trash airplane following embarrassing playoff blowout.
- Michael David Smith (ProFootballTalk) NFL finds Bucs didn’t break rules with distracting video boards. "In some cases, when one team accuses another team of breaking a rule to get a competitive advantage, the league launches a long investigation. In this case, the league quickly ruled that there was no wrongdoing."