The race to Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara, California, is down to eight teams.
The divisional round of the NFL playoffs features four star-studded matchups, including one on ESPN’s family of networks and digital platforms. After a resounding road win against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the wild-card round, the Houston Texans and their vaunted defense head north to face Drake Maye and the New England Patriots, who defeated the Los Angeles Chargers in their wild-card game.
New England is 11-4 all-time against Houston, including a 2-0 mark in the postseason. The two teams last played in Week 6 of the 2024 season. C.J. Stroud threw three touchdowns as the Texans defeated the Patriots 41-21 in Maye’s first career start. Maye also had three touchdown passes, but he threw two interceptions, lost a fumble and was sacked four times.
Wide receiver Stefon Diggs, who is now Maye’s top target in New England, had six catches for 77 yards and a score for the Texans in the 2024 matchup. The victory marked Houston’s first win in Foxborough.
All times are in Central Standard Time.
How to watch the big game
Fans impatiently waiting for kickoff can tune in to ABC13’s “Countdown to Kickoff” starting at 9:30 a.m. to join Greg Bailey, Spencer Tillman, and Bob Slovak as they preview the game.
Fans can also tune in to watch the pre-game coverage show “Postseason NFL Countdown” on ABC13 or ESPN at 11 a.m.
The main event follows soon after: fans can watch the Houston Texans play the New England Patriots on Sunday, Jan. 18, at 2 p.m. on ABC13 or ESPN.
‘NFL Wild Card Playbook with Next Gen Stats’
“NFL on ESPN Playbook with Next Gen Stats” returns for ESPN’s divisional round playoff game. The final edition of “NFL on ESPN Playbook” will be available for fans with a subscription to the ESPN Unlimited plan in the ESPN App.
Designed for viewers who crave deeper insights, “NFL on ESPN Playbook with Next Gen Stats” delivers real-time data, advanced metrics and analytics-driven commentary, powered by the NFL’s Next Gen Stats and Adrenaline’s TruPlay AI. Fans will consume the game with a 22-man, all-field camera view, as “NFL on ESPN Playbook” taps TruPlay AI’s unprecedented live predictive engine that is capable of adjusting to personnel, formations and pre-snap movement in real time.
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