Drake Maye gets shot as Patriots starting QB against Houston's tough defense

Houston (4-1) at New England (1-4)

Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT, CBS

NFL Odds: Texans by 7.

Against the spread: Texans 1-3-1; Patriots 1-3-1.

Series record: Patriots lead 9-3.

Last meeting: New England won 25-22 won in Houston on Oct. 10, 2021.

Last week: Texans beat Bills 23-20; Patriots lost 15-10 to Dolphins.

Texans offense: overall (6), rush (23), pass (1), scoring (19).

Texans defense: overall (4), rush (17), pass (3), scoring (19).

Patriots offense: overall (31), rush (8), pass (32), scoring (31).

Patriots defense: overall (24), rush (13), pass (25), scoring (9).

Turnover differential: Texans minus-3, Patriots plus 2.

Texans player to watch

WR Stefon Diggs. The four-time Pro Bowler should be a bigger part of the game plan this week after NFL leading receiver Nico Collins was placed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury Wednesday. Diggs led the team with six receptions for 82 yards last week and has had at least five catches and 65 yards receiving in each of his past three games. Diggs, who is in his first season in Houston after a trade from Buffalo, has two touchdown receptions and a rushing TD this season.

Patriots player to watch

QB Drake Maye. The No. 3 overall draft pick gets his first NFL start after veteran Jacoby Brissett left them mired in a four-game losing streak. Maye made one previous appearance, completing 4 of 8 passes for 22 yards in mop-up duty against the Jets in Week 3.

Key matchup

Texans pass rush against Patriots OL: The Texans have the highest pressure rate in the NFL at 42% of all drop-backs, according to NFL NextGen stats. The Patriots have used five different offensive line combinations while allowing 19 sacks, second most in the NFL.

Key injuries

Texans: Collins, who was leading the league with 567 receiving yards, was placed on injured reserve this week and must miss at least four games. … RB Joe Mixon will likely be out for a fourth straight game with an ankle injury. … RB Dameon Pierce is expected to return after sitting out the past four games with a hamstring injury. … S Jimmie Ward could miss Sunday’s game after injuring his groin against the Bills. … OT Tytus Howard could miss a second consecutive game with a hamstring injury.

Patriots: S Kyle Dugger missed some practice this week with ankle injury. It could be a big problem, with S Jabrill Peppers on the commissioner's exempt list after being arrested on charges of beating his girlfriend. ... RB Rhamondre Stevenson (foot) also sat out a day. He left Sunday's game but said he could have gone back in. ... C Nick Leverett (ankle) and T Vederian Lowe (knee) also were partial participants in practice. The Patriots are already thin at offensive line with C David Andrews and T Caedan Wallace on injured reserve.

Series notes

The Texans visit for the first time since 2018, with the past three meetings in Houston. ... Although New England has a 9-3 edge, they have lost two of the past three matchups. ... The teams met twice in the playoffs, with Tom Brady leading the Patriots to victories in both the 2012 and '16 seasons. ... The Patriots and the Houston Oilers played 33 times in the AFL and NFL before the Oilers moved to Tennessee and became the Titans. ... ... The Texans are one of nine teams never to have won at Gillette Stadium. The five losses match Cleveland for the most of any of those teams.

Stats and stuff

The Texans are off to their best start since opening the 2012 season 5-0. … QB C.J. Stroud had 331 yards passing last week for his sixth career game with at least 325 yards passing, which is tied for the most in the NFL since 2023. He ranks third in the NFL with 1,385 yards passing this season. … RB Joe Mixon has averaged 132 yards of offense in two games against the Patriots. … RB Cam Akers had a career-high 171 yards rushing in his only career game against New England in 2020 with the Rams. … RB Dare Ogunbowale had a career-high six catches last week. … DE Danielle Hunter had a sack in his previous game against the Patriots in 2022 with Minnesota. … DE Will Anderson has a tackle for loss in four of five games this season. … DT Khalil Davis had two tackles for loss and his first sack of the season last week. … LB Azeez Al-Shaair led the team with eight tackles and defended two passes against the Bills. His one career forced fumble came in his only game against New England in 2020 with San Francisco. … CB Derek Stingley had a season-high seven tackles and defended a pass last week. … K Ka’imi Fairbairn was the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week for the second time this season Wednesday. He made three field goals against the Bills, capped by the 59-yard game winner as time expired. ... The Patriots ran for 151 yards on 19 carries against Miami, an average of 7.95 yards that was the best in franchise history. ... DE Keion White has had at least one quarterback hit in each of the first five games of the season. His 10 quarterback hits are tied for third in the NFL. ... P Bryce Baringer has a 50-yard punt in 22 straight games, the longest active streak in the NFL. ... Is there a Patriots captain jinx? Of the Patriots captains who started the season, C David Andrews and LB Ja’Whaun Bentley are on injured reserve, QB Jacoby Brissett has been benched, S Jabrill Peppers is on the commissioner's exempt list and S Kyle Dugger is on the injury report.

Fantasy tip

Texans QB C.J. Stroud should find plenty of holes in a New England defense that was already giving up 239 yards per game, 25th in the league.

------

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl