...In the Bullseye.com: Caged Cats Leads to Pats Rematch

The Texans had a somewhat uninspiring home win against the Cincinnati Bengals, 19-13, in the first playoff round Saturday, but at least it was a win which is something the Texans had some trouble accomplishing in December. As a reward, the 13-4 Houstonians return to icy Foxboro this weekend and the scene where their late-season misery began. The Texans hope to dial up some payback for a 42-14 loss to New England (12-4) in the second round of the playoffs (Sunday, 3:30 CT, CBS).

Some observers felt the Texans played tight and also held back some of their favorite plays in anticipation of a rematch. We'll see. But there's no question Houston will need to get better effort out of some of their key players to advance to the AFC Championship Game.

IntheBullseye's Keith Weiland offers the following quick scouting report in the pre-game forum thread:

"Revenge + Underestimation is a nasty combination to face in a football opponent. Certainly understandable why the Patriots may be overconfident but the Texans should enter this game feeling like they have nothing to lose. No one expects them to win. Don't play so tight.

"The Texans put a little too much pressure of themselves last time (Thanks Dre for calling it 'The most important game in team history', which it wasn't), and they probably faced a team who wanted it more than they did. Couple that with a couple funky bounces (like the fumble recovery Kareem Jackson missed and that forced fumble from the defense that the Pats recovered in the end zone for a TD), and this is not the mismatch it may seem. And we also wonder how much of the offensive playbook Gary Kubiak employed...

"The Texans need to (a) get to Brady by only rushing four. Blitzing great QBs like Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, and Peyton Manning will not work. They can do this if they not only get the effort from J.J. Watt, but they also need guys like Antonio Smith and Connor Barwin to play like champions. And, more obviously, they also (b) need to keep this from becoming a track meet. Lastly, (c) they need to take an early lead, stretching the field from the start."

Head into the forums for more pre-game discussion!

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