The Patriots are preparing to host the Houston Texans in a divisional round matchup at Gillette Stadium on Sunday and it's looking like almost all hands are on deck for New England in the playoff showdown.
Although veteran WR Mack Hollins (abdomen) remains on injured reserve, the Patriots didn't rule any players on their active roster out on their final injury report. On Friday, New England listed OLB Harold Landry III (knee), and RB Terrell Jennings (concussion) as questionable for Sunday's divisional round matchup vs. the Texans.
Starting with the defense, Pro Bowl CB Christian Gonzalez was cleared to play and is off the injury report after being in concussion protocol this week. Gonzalez exited last Sunday's Wild Card win over the Chargers in the fourth quarter after he appeared to injure himself breaking up a pass earlier in the quarter. Gonzalez did not return to the game and was placed in the league's concussion protocol. During the week, the star cornerback practiced on Wednesday in a red non-contact jersey and then shed the red jersey as a full participant in the final two practices, indicating that he's trending in the right direction.
Gonzalez spent most of last week's matchup covering Chargers deep threat Quentin Johnston, breaking up both passes intended for Johnston. In all, Gonzalez didn't allow a catch on five targets vs. Los Angeles. As one of the best cornerbacks in the league, Gonzalez allows the Patriots to increase the blitz pressure because they trust their corners on islands. Last week, New England blitzed Chargers QB Justin Herbert on 45.5% of his drop-backs, pressuring him nine times. Texans QB C.J. Stroud ranks 17th in expected points added per drop-back against the blitz, so the Patriots might continue to heat up Houston's quarterback on Sunday afternoon with all their cornerbacks healthy.
Along with Gonzalez trending toward being available, the Patriots defense and short-yardage offense could get a big boost from the return of NT Khyiris Tonga. Tonga, who hasn't played since injuring his foot in Week 16, returned to practice this week. The big nose tackle is a stout run-stopper who registered 12 run stuffs this season and shows impressive power to dent the pocket as a bull rusher. Plus, the 335-pound defender has played 14 snaps on offense this season as a short-yardage blocker.
The Patriots have gotten pretty creative with Tonga on offense, moving him around to create advantageous blocking angles in the run game. One of the Texans defense's many strengths is its ability to stop the run (third in rush EPA), particularly in short-yardage situations, where Houston ranks fifth in power success rate (59.5%). Tonga could help the Patriots offense get those tough yards when they're in power situations.
The final puzzle piece on defense is the status of captain Harold Landry III, who has been managing a knee injury for the last several weeks. After resting his knee in the last two regular season games, Landry returned for the Wild Card win over the Chargers but didn't register any pressures in just 26 snaps. If the captain doesn't play, New England will likely lean on Anfernee Jennings and Elijah Ponder on the edge opposite K'Lavon Chaisson, while new addition Derrell Taylor is a candidate to be a practice squad elevation.
Moving over to the offense, the Patriots mostly have a clean bill of health. The only question mark was jumbo tight end/third tackle Thayer Munford Jr., who has been dealing with a knee injury over the last few weeks. Munford played through the injury last week, so one would expect him to play on Sunday. The jumbo package could be a big part of New England's game plan. With six offensive linemen on the field, the Patriots can load up protections to get multiple blockers on the Texans elite pass rushers. Houston ranks just 21st in pass EPA against jumbo packages, compared to first against regular personnel groupings. Therefore, one would expect the Patriots offense to test the Texans pass defense in jumbo packages.
As for the Texans, Houston ruled out star WR Nico Collins (concussion) after he exited their Wild Card win over the Steelers. Collins led the Texans with 1,117 receiving yards in the regular season, tied for ninth in the NFL, and also hauled in six touchdowns. This season, the Texans average nearly a full yard per play more with Collins on the field (5.6) versus off the field (4.8), so that's a major blow to Houston's offense. After not practicing the first two days, RT Trent Brown (ankle) is officially questionable.
New England also has the option to activate RB Terrell Jennings (concussion) and CB Alex Austin (wrist) from injured reserve, with both players practicing this week. The Patriots created an open roster spot by releasing veteran RB D'Ernest Johnson, who re-signed with the team's practice squad, which would suggest they might activate Jennings as their third running back. At cornerback, the Pats must activate Austin this week or his 21-day window to return from injured reserve will close, shutting him down for the rest of the season. Most likely, that'll come down to whether the Patriots prefer Austin over rookie DB Kobee Minor on special teams.
New England has until Saturday at 4 p.m. ET to activate Austin and Jennings from injured reserve, while the team can also use its two standard practice squad elevations for Sunday's game. We will keep you updated on all the moving parts on the roster. The Patriots will then host the Texans with kickoff at 3 p.m. ET at Gillette Stadium on Sunday.
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