Announcers Revealed for Texans-Patriots Divisional Matchup

The announcers for the Houston Texans' upcoming divisional matchup versus the New England Patriots have been revealed leading up to kickoff.

The Texans and Patriots, who will be the third game on the NFL's four-game weekend slate of playoff games, and the first matchup taking place on Sunday, will be hosted by the ESPN/ABC crew consisting of Troy Aikman and Joe Buck on the call in the booth, while Lisa Salters and Laura Rutledge will be the sideline reporters.

Joe Buck (play-by-play), Troy Aikman (analysis), Lisa Salters (sideline) and Laura Rutledge (sideline) are on the ESPN/ABC call for Sunday's Patriots-Texans game.
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) January 13, 2026

With no Monday Night Football set to take place this weekend, the ESPN crew has shifted to the Sunday slate, and for a second-straight week, will keep a watch on the Texans.

The Texans will be eyeing their second-ever road playoff win, coming fresh off a dominant 30-6 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium, but will now have their hands full in New England against the dominant force that's been Mike Vrabel's 14-3 unit, led by premier MVP candidate Drake Maye.

Texans Looking to Make First-Ever Conference Championship

Historically, the Patriots have performed quite well against the Texans–– having an 11-4 all-time record against Houston, while also taking care of business in both of their playoff meetings, their last time linking in the postseason coming during the Patriots' 2017 Super Bowl run, as New England rallied to a statement 34-16 win in the Divisional Round.

This time, the Texans will be looking to rewrite the script, meeting for just the second time since DeMeco Ryans has been on board as head coach.

The last time those two faced the Patriots, it came with a commanding 21-41 win in New England, thanks to a three-touchdown performance from C.J. Stroud.

Dec 27, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Houston Texans head coach Demeco Ryans questions a call during the second half against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

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Now, the Texans roll into this one with some serious momentum, currently in the midst of a ten-game win streak, the current longest in the league, and one that's persisted dating back to their Week 10 win against the Jacksonville Jaguars after a resilient 19-point comeback.

That provides some real confidence before their biggest game of the year thus far, but against another team with the hot hand like the Patriots––who have won 14 of their past 15 games––nothing's coming easy this weekend, especially on the road in Foxborough.

Time will tell if Stroud and Ryans can keep the momentum flowing into another playoff test, which could make for the franchise's first-ever divisional round win, and inevitably, a first-ever conference championship appearance if things fall their way.

They might not be entering as favorites, but as proven throughout this season, no task has been too tall to overcome for this Houston group that's battled fiercely on both sides of the ball.

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