Houston Texans vs. New England Patriots Week 14 2012

Houston Texans vs. New England Patriots 12/10/12 Game Preview. This is by far the premier game of the week and best Monday Night Matchup of the season.

The Houston Texans will depart the Lone Star State and travel to Boston where they will eventually find themselves at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Ma. to meet the New England Patriots. The game can be seen nationally on ESPN beginning at 8:30ET.

It is not just my opinion that this will be the best Monday night contest of the year. In fact, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, these two teams have the best combined record (20-4) of any two opponents after 12 games in the 42 year history of Monday Night Football.

NFL Team Match Up Stats

Houston (11-1) enters this affair on a 6 game winning streak. This will be their 3^rd straight away game, where they are the only team in the NFL unbeaten on the road (6-0). Last week Houston defeated the Tennessee Titan’s 24-10. The Texans sole loss of the season came at home against Green Bay where the Packers won handily, 42-24 on October 14^th.

New England (9-3) has the best home record in the NFL over the past decade going 71-14 in that span. They defeated the Miami Dolphins in South Beach last week 23-16. They too, have 6 consecutive “W’s” entering Monday night. There last loss came on that same October 14^th date to Seattle 24-23.  When the Pats played Tennessee in Nashville to begin the season, they were victorious as well, 34-13.

Key Football Players

Now let’s take a closer look at some of the individuals who will determine this game’s outcome.

Tom Brady has always been regarded as one of the top quarterbacks to have ever played the game and rightly so. However, Matt Schaub is no slouch either. Since 2011 he is 18-4 as a starter. That’s the top record of any QB during that time period. Brady will be tested by a Houston contingent who loves to blitz. They have employed 5 rushers 44 percent of the time this year. Thus far Brady has passed the blitz exam with 15 TD’s and zero INT’s vs. a 5 man front.

The Texans also have issues in their defensive secondary. Brice McCain will miss the game with a foot injury. Another corner, Johnathan Joseph will be slowed by a sore hamstring. That leaves second year CB, Brandon Harris to pick up the slack against the Pats. Look for Wes Welker to have a big game. Rob Gronkowski will not play in this one.

Arian Foster has not played up to his usual high standard the past few weeks, but he is always capable of having a breakout game. Stevan Ridley has been a pleasant surprise for New England Patriots in his second year. Foster has 1,102 yards rushing thus far in 2012, while Ridley stands at 1,010. Their NFL rankings are fourth and sixth respectively.

Other key factors will be Texans receiver Andre Johnson going up against the Pat’s Aqib Talib. Texan defensive end, J.J. Watt is also always a force to be reckoned with and the Patriots “O” line will have to account for him on every play.

These are two teams that excel in turnover ratio with New England leading the league at a plus 24 and Houston having a plus 14. It’s the Patriots number one offense vs. the Texans number two. The Pats have scored an average of 36 points per game and Houston has tallied 29.

This game promises to be an exciting offensive display that could be decided by who possesses the ball last. Las Vegas likes New England by 4 points. I like them too, if for no other reason they’re at home and their experience on Monday Night Football. They are 10-1 in their last 11 Monday night encounters. Houston is due to lose on the road and tonight looks like the right time and place.

Where To Place A Bet Online

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Free Football Betting Tip

MY PREDICTION – New England 27, Houston 24

Game Final Score

• Houston Texans – 14
• New England Patriots – 42