The Patriots don’t yet know their opponent for the divisional round of the NFL playoffs, but NBC Sports’ Peter King has an idea for which team New England should root for this weekend.
The Patriots, owners of the AFC’s No. 2 seed, will face either the Houston Texans, Baltimore Ravens or Los Angeles Chargers, depending on what happens in the wild-card round. Each potential matchup presents its own set of challenges, but King explained Thursday on WEEI’s “Dale & Keefe” why he believes Houston would be the most favorable opponent for New England.
“I guess I would look at it and say that I think Houston is most vulnerable in a really important spot and that is the offensive line,” King said, per WEEI.com. “They’re getting their quarterback killed so to me, even though that’s a really excellent defensive front, I think you’d be able to make hay rushing Deshaun Watson. Plus, they’ve played each other about 100 times in the last three or four years so I’m sure the Patriots know everything about the Texans.”
The Patriots opened their 2018 season with a 27-20 win over the Texans at Gillette Stadium. Houston is a much different team now than it was in September, though. The Texans have won 11 of 13 games since starting the season with an 0-3 record.
That said, King is correct: Houston’s offensive line has been terrible, surrendering an NFL-high 62 sacks. While New England’s pass rush has been inconsistent this season, the Patriots’ defense has played well in recent weeks and could make life difficult for Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson if the teams square off. King, meanwhile, could see the Ravens posing problems for the Pats.
“I think the Baltimore Ravens are a very difficult match for anyone right now because they have a quarterback who’s running the ball 15 times a game very effectively,” King said, according to WEEI.com. “They have a team running the ball 65 percent of the time over the last seven games. It’s unheard of and hasn’t happened in our lifetime. It didn’t even happen with big running teams like the Packers of the 60s.”
The Patriots will host their divisional round matchup next Sunday at Gillette Stadium regardless of the opponent. They’ll play the AFC’s highest remaining seed, meaning they’ll welcome the third-seeded Texans to Foxboro if Houston defeats sixth-seeded Indianapolis on Saturday or host the winner of Sunday’s Ravens vs. Chargers game if the Colts pull off a road victory.
