Wilfork: No residual bitterness between him, Patriots

Patriots fans will likely have to do a double-take when they see No. 75 on the Texans defensive side of the football Sunday.

In his first year away from New England after 11 seasons and two Super Bowl victories, there's been no regrets for fan-favorite Vince Wilfork.

But that doesn't mean he left the team with a bad taste in his mouth.

"I never want anyone to think I left on bitter terms, or me and the organization we fell out because that’s not the truth,” he said via WEEI.com. "We left on good terms, but that’s the way business is sometimes and I think you get caught up in playing football and you forget it’s a business until it’s time to handle it. 

"But I’ll always love the Kraft family. I will always love Bill Belichick and the organization, the teammates, the fans."

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Patriots' Week 14 bout with Texans gets flexed

The New England Patriots' Week 14 AFC matchup with the Houston Texans will go to primetime.

The NFL announced it has moved the December 13 game to NBC’s Sunday Night Football at 8:30 p.m. Eastern.

With that, the Seattle Seahawks-Baltimore Ravens game has been bumped up to 1 p.m. on FOX.

Per a release:

"The NFL uses "flexible scheduling" on Sundays in Weeks 11-17. Flexible scheduling ensures quality matchups in all NFL Sunday time slots in those weeks and gives teams a chance to play their way onto primetime and into the late-afternoon 4:25 PM ET time slot on CBS or FOX. 

"For each flexible scheduling week with the exception of Week 17, the NFL announces the start times of games on Sundays no later than 12 days prior to that weekend. To ensure a Sunday night game and doubleheader games with playoff implications in Week 17, flexible scheduling decisions for that Sunday can be made on six days notice."

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Wilfork announces deal with Texans; J.J. Watt loves it

The news of Vince Wilfork inking a deal with the Houston Texans Monday yielded some strong feelings in New England. Feelings from the Texans side, however, made much bigger headlines.

Following the veteran's announcement of the move via Twitter, Houston's star defensive end, J.J. Watt, had only thing to say:

haha
— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) March 16, 2015

According to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle, Wilfork's deal is worth $9 million over two years, with more than half guaranteed.

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Pass-happy Bills nixed by opportunistic Texans 'D'

BY DAN BEGNOCHE

The Buffalo Bills' offense literally came out throwing against the Houston Texans Sunday. Problem was, Houston was more than ready for it.

The Texans' defense, behind an impeccable performance from J.J. Watt, nabbed two crucial interceptions from an unusually pass-happy Bills offense and rebounded from a 10-0 deficit in the first half Sunday on their way to a 23-17 victory.

"I think when we get into games where we threw the ball as much as we did, that gets us in trouble," coach Doug Marrone said via the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle after the game.

Matchup Mashup: Your Bills-Texans primer

BY DAN BEGNOCHE

Week 4: Buffalo Bills (2-1) at Houston Texans (2-1), 1 p.m.
Location: NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas
Weather: Sunny, high 80s at kickoff (accuweather)

The skinny: The Buffalo Bills head into Houston for a reunion with Ryan Fitzpatrick, though they'll be rolling into town with a banged up receiving corps and a DB crew looking to rebound from a rough outing last week. Lucky for them, Fitz hasn't quite solved his turnover issues, and a turnaround game could be well within reach. The best revenge from the former team, however, could be at the hands of Fred Jackson, who's currently averaging close to five yards a carry and is going against a defense that's giving up more than 140 yards per game on the ground. Houston's running game, on the other hand, could be down its most valuable player, with Adrian Foster questionable to start as he continues to deal with a hamstring injury.

O'Brien has Texans watching a lot of Patriots film

BY DAVID HEIM

Houston Texans head coach Bill O'Brien is the latest of the Bill Belichick coaching tree to get a crack at a head coaching gig outside of New England.

For O'Brien and his new team, imitating the league's most prolific team of the last decade is not a bad way to start things off--so that's what he's doing.

O'Brien did it all in his five seasons with New England, finding himself as an assistant, wide receivers coach, quarterbacks coach or offensive coordinator between 2007-2011. While O'Brien was calling the shots on the offensive side of the ball from 2009-2011, the Pats never ranked lower than eighth in total offense.

With O'Brien, Texans may have eye on Pats' Mallett

BY DAVID HEIM

For the Houston Texans, the upcoming draft may very well be all about finding their franchise quarterback.

Their new signal-caller, however -- at least for the short-term -- could already be in the league. New England Patriots backup quarterback Ryan Mallett's name is undoubtedly a prospect of multiple quarterback-needy teams, and for the Texans, it makes enough sense.

"Anticipate [the Texans] looking into Ryan Mallett (size, arm, familiar with system)," former Cleveland Browns general manager-turned analyst Phil Savage tweeted Sunday, "would free them up to take a non-QB."

Former Dolphins exec Gaine lands gig in Houston

BY NICK ST. DENIS

Brian Gaine re-gained some footing pretty quickly, as expected.

The former Miami Dolphins assistant general manager, who parted way with the team after he lost out to new general manager Dennis Hickey for the lead gig, has signed on with a new team.

According to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle, the Houston Texans have added Gaine to head their pro personnel department.

Texans DE 'suspicious' of Pats' halftime adjustments

BY NICK ST. DENIS

Some people think the act of making very good halftime adjustments is simply good football. Some think it's cheating.

Consider Houston Texans defensive end Antonio Smith the latter -- at least when it comes to the New England Patriots.

"You can tell they changed their scheme in the second half," Smith told The Houston Cronicle after his team's 34-31 loss to the Patriots Sunday. “It’s miraculous they changed some things on offense that keyed on what we put on this week to stop what they were doing.

Week 13 picks: Patriots at Texans

Publisher Nick St. Denis, associate editor Dan Begnoche and senior contributor Sean Donovan pick the New England Patriots' AFC bout with the Houston Texans.

Sean's take:

This playoff matchup from a year ago has an entirely new feel after Houston's fall from fringe Super Bowl contention to contending for the top overall pick in next year's draft. Nevertheless, Bill Belichick will have his team prepared to play and play well as it looks to continue gaining ground on the Denver Broncos for homefield advantage in the playoffs. Tom Brady puts the Texans on the mat early and an aggressive defense led by Chandler Jones fuels a rout.

Prediction: Patriots 40, Texans 16

Four Point Stance: Patriots at Texans

BY SEAN DONOVAN

The New England Patriots (8-3) are suddenly charging hard at the AFC's top seed and homefield advantage throughout the playoffs after defeating the conference-leading Denver Broncos in overtime last week.

They have, however, lost three straight on the road and this week visit the Houston Texans (2-9), who are a far different team now than the last time these teams met in last season's AFC Divisional playoffs. Once considered a piece or two away from contending for the Super Bowl, the Texans have lost nine straight since opening the year 2-0 and currently sit at the bottom of the conference, and are instead contending for the top overall pick in next year's draft.

Houston is still a highly talented team, especially on the defensive side of the ball. If New England wants to make a serious run at a No. 1 seed, it'll need to dispatch the Texans and stay healthy in the process.

Texans slate Patriots as their 'Homecoming' game

BY NICK ST. DENIS

In high school, teams typically schedule lesser opponents for their Homecoming games. The Houston Texans skipped that class.

According to the Texans' official website, Houston will have a different theme for each of its 2013 home games. When the New England Patriots come to town in December, it will be "Homecoming."

That'll boost morale.

Pats' special teams has tough task ahead in Ravens

BY DAN BEGNOCHE

Some criticism has come down on the New England Patriots’ special teams squad over the past week, and for good reason.

After a season’s worth of solid kick coverage, the group laid an egg against the Houston Texans last week, allowing returner Danieal Manning to gain more than 200 yards on just three returns, nearly notching the first return touchdown against the team all season. (photo: BaltimoreRavens.com)

Now, the crew gets a shot at Baltimore’s Jacoby Jones, who lead the league in kick return yards and has three special teams touchdowns to his name this season. New England special teams captain Matthew Slater said earlier this week that his group is well aware of Jones’s ability, and they know they can’t be as sloppy as they were a week ago.

Kubiak: Challenge of Rob Gronkowski is 'amazing'

BY DAN BEGNOCHE

If the Houston Texans thought the New England Patriots’ offense was too much to handle in their first meeting, they'll be in for an even ruder awakening.

Tom Brady and the Pats put up 42 points against the Texans in Round 1 despite the absence of one of the offense’s main contributors, tight end Rob Gronkowski. But after a start in Week 16 and a week off to rest, Gronk is a go on Sunday. (photo: jdn, Flickr)

“The challenge for him is just amazing because of the size and the ability to…matchup-wise this guy has worn out a lot of corners and safeties,” Texans head coach Gary Kubiak told reporters via conference call Wednesday. “He’s very tough to handle from that standpoint.”

Wilfork, Patriots prepping for Texans' cut blocking

BY NICK ST. DENIS

New England Patriots defensive tackle Vince Wilfork has seen it all, and his ability to diagnose opponents' strengths and tendencies is evidenced by the on-field instinct he displays.

With the Houston Texans coming to town Sunday for a Divisional Round bout, Wilfork is preparing to defend the cut block. (photo: AJ Guel, Flickr)

"That’s something that they do very, very well," Wilfork told reporters Tuesday, via Patriots.com. "Their zone running scheme, stretch runs [and they] mix in a couple scheme runs. But playing cut blocks is always a big challenge when you’re facing a team like this because it seems like – I don’t care if you’re getting cut on the front side or the back side, that running back sees it and he hits it right off that cut block."

Patriots eying Texans' missing pieces from Round 1

BY DAN BEGNOCHE

As the New England Patriots look to the game tape this week during preparations for Sunday’s playoff rematch with the Houston Texans, they're taking note of who is absent from it.

In a 42-14 Monday night thrashing at the hands of the Pats, the Texans were without two talented youngsters: linebacker Brooks Reed and tight end Garrett Graham. The pair will be making an appearance this time around. (photo: The Britt_2, Flickr)

“[Reed’s] certainly been disruptive when he’s been in there,” offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels told reporters via conference call on Monday. “... I think Reed just comes in and really provides some explosiveness off the edge. [He’s] a guy that can pass rush, can really play in the running game, has a great playing style about him.”

Patriots slated for higher-stakes rematch with Texans

BY NICK ST. DENIS

The New England Patriots don't have to wait another day to find out who they'll play next weekend.

Thanks to a Houston Texans victory over the Cincinnati Bengals Saturday in AFC Wildcard action, New England will host Houston next Sunday in the Divisional Round.

The last time these two teams met, the nation was preparing for a possible AFC Championship game preview and a slugfest between the league's best offense against arguably the league's best defense. But a lot changed that Week 14 night.

Wilfork leads impressive showing by Patriots' 'D'

BY NICK ST. DENIS

The New England Patriots' offense went off on the Houston Texans Monday night, but their defense was impressive, as well.

The Patriots held the Texans' usually high-powered offense to a 4-for-16 conversion rate on third and fourth downs and kept it completely out of the end zone until the game was well out of hand. New England's defense also recorded eight quarterback hits, seven tackles for losses and a pair of sacks.

A lot of credit should go to defensive tackle Vince Wilfork, who, as usual, was so in control in the trenches. Wilfork recorded a sack, a tackle for a loss and even a pass defensed. But more importantly, the force he regularly produced up front set up others around him to make plays.

Gameday Deciding Factors: Texans at Patriots

BY NICK ST. DENIS

This one is about as big as it gets in the regular season. The AFC East champion New England Patriots (9-3) host the AFC-leading Houston Texans (11-1) for a Monday night bout that could prove to have all sorts of playoff implications.

The Patriots' offense scores more than any other team, and its defense has been almost just as productive considering its incredible turnover rate and ability to put points on the board itself. New England, however, will be up against the best team it has played this season, and one that is right behind it in both those categories.

DECIDING FACTORS:

Third down. The Patriots boast the best third-down offense in the NFL, and the Texans maintain the league's best third-down defense. The Texans thrive on putting teams in negative situations on second and third down in order to let their elite defensive front, led by J.J. Watt, to attack the offensive backfield.

Turnovers. New England leads the league in turnover differential at plus-24. Meanwhile the Texans are third in the league in that category (plus-14) and second to New England in the AFC. The Patriots' defense has received a lot of criticism this season for giving up too many yards, but who cares if it is ending drives with takeaways? (photo: The Britt_2, Flickr)

Navigating Watt. Watt is well-known for his ability to swat balls out of the air, which lends a great hand to interceptions. The Patriots practiced with tennis racquets last week to simulate Watt's ability to take up throwing lanes with his mitts. Watt's constant migration from different positions on the defensive front vs. Tom Brady's navigation of the offense will be an intriguing chess match to watch.

Red zone rushing. Despite boasting two of the best passing units in the NFL, the Patriots and Texans are No. 1 and 2 in rushing touchdowns. Conversely, Houston has given up the fewest amount of rushing touchdowns (2), and the Patriots' run defense hasn't been too shabby this season, either.

Week 14 AFC East game picks: Texans at Patriots

Lead writer Nick St. Denis and AFC East Daily contributors Dan Begnoche and Sean Donovan pick the New England Patriots matchup with the fellow AFC powerhouse Houston Texans.

Nick's take:

These two teams are living proof of the importance of turnovers. There's a reason why they're No. 1 and No. 2 in turnover differential in the AFC and the two best squads in the conference, Denver aside. The same goes for third down, where the Patriots rank first on offense and the Texans on defense. Winning those two categories will decide this game in favor of the Patriots.

Prediction: Patriots 24, Texans 21

Dan's take:

It's tough to pick against a team that averages 36 points a game, but hey, someone has to. Houston has been unstoppable on the road. The Texans' defense has accumulated 36 sacks already and is posting near-record numbers on third down. This one may be a more defensive game on both sides of the field than expected, but only if Houston can hang with the league's most dangerous offense for more than a half.

Prediction: Texans 24, Patriots 20