Patriots Receive Boost Off Injured Reserve Entering Playoff Matchup With Texans

The New England Patriots are about as close to being fully healthy as you can be entering their divisional round matchup with the Houston Texans on Sunday.

New England announced that cornerback Alex Austin was activated off of injured reserve on Saturday.

Austin, 24, makes his return after being placed on injured reserve with a wrist injury on Nov. 25, and will likely slide right back into his role on four different special teams units where he played 39.1% of the special teams snaps in 2025.

Kobee Minor and Charles Woods will likely take a step back, with the former likely to be made inactive moving forward.

The Patriots are moving in the right direction with regards to health, as cornerback Christian Gonzalez (concussion) and defensive tackle Khyiris Tonga (foot) being removed from the injury report this week, while linebacker Harold Landry III (knee) is expected to be available despite being listed as questionable.

New England and Houston will look to punch their ticket to the 2026 AFC Championship Game on Sunday, with kickoff scheduled for 3 p.m. ET at Gillette Stadium.