Texans vs Patriots Free Streams: 2026 NFL Divisional Round Game Preview and TV Channels

If defenses alone win championships, that would make the Texans a Super Bowl favorite. However, CJ Stroud fumbled. five times on Monday and threw a red zone interception to start. There’s nothing to be gained from that level of ineptitude, no matter how good your defense is.

Naturally, it was up to Houston’s defense to rescue the failing offense once again, but that might not have been possible against anyone but the Steelers. Also consider that star receiver Nico Collins is out with a concussion, that the Texans have gone 0-6 in Divisional Round games and that teams that play on a Monday in the Wild Card Round don’t typically do as well in a short week.