Of course, it's strange to see the Patriots without Tom Brady. But it's not like the Texans haven't seen a different Pats QB under center before.
Just last year, the two teams hooked up and Cam Newton was the field general for New England. The Texans also faced the Patriots with Jacoby Brissett calling signals in 2016.
For the Texans, Davis Mills becomes the eighth different quarterback to start against New England. Can you name the others?
I'll wait.
Ok, time's up.
You know three of them right off the bat with David Carr, Matt Schaub and Deshaun Watson. You might remember Brian Hoyer starting against his former club on Sunday Night Football at NRG Stadium in 2015 (also, when Hoyer played for the Pats, he worked two possessions at QB at Houston in the 2009 finale). Brock Osweiler started the game at Foxboro in 2016.
Now it gets blurry, right?
Case Keenum had one of his eight 2013 starts against the Patriots in that lost season. He played well and the Texans actually had the lead twice in the fourth quarter but couldn't hang on.
The other one was Tony Banks. He led a valiant effort against the Patriots at NRG in 2003. The game went deep into overtime but Adam Vinatieri won it with a field goal. The Pats would go on to win the Super Bowl on the same field later that season.
If the Texans win this one, it'll make it three in a row against New England. The Patriots are about to start a different quarterback for the third consecutive matchup with the Texans, all in Houston.
It's a battle of rookies as Mills squares off with Mac Jones who played well enough to win in a tight game versus Tampa Bay. Mills is coming off a rough day at Buffalo. Now he has the home fans and no rain on his side.
The Patriots are a low-scoring team but have a top-five defense. Houston is struggling to get going offensively but the Texans have hung in there on the defensive side of the ball. Both teams are starving for a win. It'll be a fight to avoid a three-games-below-.500 hole. And we'll be watching.
The Texans will host the New England Patriots in Week 5. Sunday's kickoff is set for noon CT. Click here for tickets.
