The New England Patriots and quarterback Tom Brady have the Houston Texans’ number. In their first 11 meetings, the Patriots defeated the Texans 10 times, per Mike Giardi of NFL Network. In a tweet, Giardi said the Texans’ lone win over the Patriots came in the season finale of the 2009 season where quarterback Matt Schaub led them to a 34-27 win. Brady did not play the whole game as the Patriots already clinched the AFC East at that time.

Overall, the Patriots have an 8-1 regular season and 2-0 record in the postseason against the Texans. Last season, the Patriots opened their campaign with a 27-20 win over the Texans on Sept. 9, 2018, at Gillette Stadium. Giardi added that the Texans starting quarterbacks did not fare well against the Patriots, as they averaged just 217.7 yards per game with 10 touchdowns and 16 interceptions and a passer rating of 67.6.

Texans pressured to stop Brady

With the Patriots and Texans (7-4) set to clash for the 12th time, Houston outside linebacker Brennan Scarlett said the defense will have its hands full against Brady and company.

Scarlett said facing Brady, whom he called one of the greatest players to play this game, puts that much more pressure on the Texans to prepare and execute. Scarlett also praised Brady’s ability to read the field pre-snap and post-snap, calling him one of the “one of the best doing it or that has done it.” This season, Brady has thrown for 2,942 yards and 15 touchdowns with five interceptions while completing 62.2 percent of his passes to lead the Patriots to an AFC-best 10-1. If the Patriots win, they will clinch their 11th victory of the season for the 21st time in team history and pad their NFL record to 10 consecutive seasons with at least 11 wins. In 25 seasons of ownership under Robert Kraft, the Patriots have tallied 11 or more wins 16 times.

A victory by the Patriots would fortify their hold of the AFC East and their push for a playoff berth. The Patriots entered the week as a 3.5-point favorite over the Texans, who escaped with a 20-17 win over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.

Several key Patriots missing in Wednesday’s practice

According to Phil Perry of NBC Sports, several key Patriots were not seen during the portion of Wednesday’s practice that was open to the media. Among them were cornerback Stephon Gilmore, linebackers Dont'a Hightower and Jamie Collins, defensive backs Patrick Chung and Joejuan Williams, offensive tackle Isaiah Wynn, offensive lineman Jermaine Eluemunor and tight end Ryan Izzo. Perry raised the possibility that a bug is going around the Patriots locker room after right tackle Marcus Cannon played with an illness in their 13-9 win over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.

Perry also brought some good news, reporting that wide receivers Mohamed Sanu and Phillip Dorsett and Jason McCourty were present during Wednesday’s practice. Sanu, Dorsett, or McCourty did not play against the Cowboys.