By John Sarianides

The Patriots host old friends Bill O’Brien, Romeo Crennel, Mike Vrabel and Larry Izzo to Foxboro as the Patriots battle the Texans in a key early season match up.

Here are five keys to the game.

1. Find Three Healthy Receivers and a Tight End: The Patriots receiving corp is depleted right now. Bill Belichick and his staff needs to find three healthy receivers that can play along side Gronk and get on the field today. The Patriots will also use their backs in the passing game but they can only do that for so long. 

2. Get Consistent Pressure on Watson: The rookie quarterback will get plenty of exotic looks from the Patriots today but it won’t matter if the blitzes don’t get to him. The Patriots have to consistently pressure Watson but they need to keep him in the pocket as well. They cannot allow Watson to extend plays when things break down.

3. Account for J.J Watt at All Times: Watt is still a force to be reckon with. The Patriots have handled him through the years but he is still an impact player who can wreck a game plan on his side of the line of scrimmage. 

4. Establish the Running Game: Given the depth issues at receiver, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to establish the ground game early. The Patriots need to run at Watt and Jadeveon Clowney and slow them down. 

5. Pass Protection: The Texans get a good base rush so it is imperative that the Patriots do a good job in pass protection. They have to give Brady time to make those shot throws down the field. 

Final Thoughts: The Patriots have owned the Texans at home in recent years. Despite their injury situation, I don’t expect that to change today. I just don’t think the Texans have enough offense to win this game.