The Houston Texans and New England Patriots will face off in the AFC Divisional Playoffs, and the latter has added a new layer of intrigue into the equation.
Houston won their regular-season matchup against the Patriots in 2024, but New England has turned things around this season under former Tennessee Titans head coach and 2021 Coach of the Year Mike Vrabel.
Vrabel’s latest measure could complicate matters for Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans.
Patriots Sign Former Texans Playmaker
GettyDarrell Taylor #52 of the Houston Texans reacts against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Vrabel was 9-8 against the Texans during his tenure with the Titans. However, the Texans swept Vrabel’s Titans in Ryans’ first season at the helm.
Seeking any potential insight into what they will face, the Patriots signed a former Texans player.
“The #Patriots are bringing in some pass-rush help, signing former #Texans DE Darrell Taylor to their practice squad with the strong possibility of elevating him for the playoffs,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported on X on January 14. “Taylor was waived by Houston this week.”
The Texans signed Taylor to a one-year, $4.7 million contract in free agency during the 2024 offseason.
A Seattle Seahawks second-round pick in 2020, he has also played for the Chicago Bears.
The Texans cut Taylor, 28, to make room for rookie sixth-round pick and starting safety Jaylen Reed, whom they activated off injured reserve for the Wild Card Round against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Taylor played in four games for the Texans during his brief tenure. He tallied 3 total tackles, playing 35 snaps on defense and 29 on special teams, per Pro Football Reference.
He bounced between the active roster and practice squad before his departure.
Texans vs Patriots Snapshot
GettyHouston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans looks on against the Denver Broncos.
Ryans and the Texans enter this contest with the No. 1 overall and second-ranked scoring unit defensively, and they are facing a Patriots offense led by an MVP candidate in second-year QB Drake Maye that ranks second in scoring and third overall.
Texans QB C.J. Stroud is guiding the 13th-ranked offense in PPG, a group that ranks 19th overall, against the fourth-ranked scoring and eighth overall-ranked Patriots defense.
This is the 15th meeting between the two franchises. The Patriots are 11-4 in those meetings.
Houston went 1-10 versus the Patriots during the Tom Brady era, and they are 3-1 against their intraconference rivals. Ryans and the Texans are 1-0 against Maye. They defeated the Patriots 42-21 in Week 6 of last season.
Texans Have Multiple Ties to Patriots
GettyHouston Texans general manager Nick Caserio has taken bold measures involving wide receiver Jayden Higgins.
This game is a veritable homecoming for several members of the Texans roster and front office.
Texans general manager Nick Caserio spent 20 years with the organization. Starting right tackle Trent Brown won a Super Bowl with the Patriots in 2018, and then had a second stint with the franchise from 2021 through 2023.
Starting center Jake Andrews was a fourth-round draft pick by the Patriots in 2023.
Reserve defensive back Myles Bryant broke into the league as an undrafted free agent with the Patriots in 2020. Backup wide receiver Braxton Berrios was a sixth-round selection by New England in 2018.
Only one player on the Patriots’ roster also played for the Texans. Receiver Stefon Diggs had a bounce-back campaign with New England after one injury-marred season in Houston.
Patriots Get Potentially Significant Edge on Texans Before Playoff Game