Story byFri, January 16, 2026 at 6:06 PM UTC·4 min readThe AFC East champion New England Patriots will host the Houston Texans on Sunday, with both teams advancing out of the wild-card round. The Texans pulled away late to win 30-6 at the Pittsburgh Steelers, while New England did the same in a 16-3 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers. Can Drake Maye lead the Patriots to their first AFC championship game appearance post-Tom Brady? Will CJ Stroud — likely without top wideout Nico Collins — do enough to help an elite defense?AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBen Fawkes gathered quotes from oddsmakers for all the games and our team of NFL handicappers provides their favorite wagers on the game. Odds courtesy of BetMGM. No.