The Houston Texans take on the New England Patriots in Week 5. Both clubs are 1-3 and on losing streaks; for the Texans, it is a three-gamer, while the Patriots are on a two-game skid. Barring an unforeseen tie, someone will get off the schneid today.

WHEN: 12:00 p.m. CT

WHERE: NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas

FORECAST: Mostly cloudy, 85 degrees, 15 mph winds

FOLLOW: @therealmarklane, @thetexanswire, @cotydavis24, @TexansDoc

LISTEN: Sports Radio 610 [KILT-AM] and 100.3 The Bull [KLOL]

WATCH: CBS (Andrew Catalon & James Lofton)

Source: 506sports.com

RED — Miami at Tampa Bay

YELLOW — New Orleans at Washington

BROWN — New England at Houston

TEAL — Tennessee at Jacksonville

BLUE — Chicago at Las Vegas (LATE)

GREEN — Cleveland at LA Chargers (LATE)

10 — Mac Jones' rank for intended air yards

The rookie from Alabama has generated 1,206 intended air yards, ranking 10th-most in the NFL. Jones can sling it. In fact, Patrick Mahomes has 1,182 intended air yards, putting him behind Jones. The question is whether or not offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels has it in the playbook for him Sunday to drive the ball against Houston’s secondary.

9 — Houston's rank for yards per play

The Texans defense gives up 6.0 yards per play, the ninth-most in the NFL. Imagine getting more than half the line to gain every first down you face against Houston, and then the next play will result in picking up a first down. That is what the averages show. Another No. 9 where Houston’s defense ranks is in percentage of drives ending in a turnover at 13.0%. The Texans will need to play more towards that statistic against a rookie quarterback.

8 — Sacks Davis Mills has taken

The rookie from Stanford has been dropped eight times in the last 10 quarters, which doesn’t really seem like much when compared to the rest of the league; it only ranks 16th-most. However, on percentage of dropbacks ending in sacks, Mills ranks second-highest at 10.7%. The third-rounder will need to get the ball out quickly or be more decisive about taking off upfield rather than holding onto the ball.

7 — Brandin Cooks' catches per game

The former Patriot wideout is good for seven catches a game, tied for sixth-most in the NFL. In his previous outing against Buffalo, Cooks caught five passes, and in the week before that against Carolina, he caught nine. Bill Belichick likes to take away what a team does best, and Cooks is it for Houston. Davis Mills needs to spread the ball around if Cooks is taken out of the action.

6 — Matt Judon's rank for sacks

The Patriots linebacker is tied with Von Miller, Robert Quinn, and Haason Reddick for the sixth-most sacks in the NFL with 4.5. New England will be looking for ways to send their best pass rusher against Houston’s rookie quarterback. The offensive line will have to be exemplary with its communication in order to neutralize Judon.

5 — Zach Cunningham's rank for missed tackles

The former 2017 second-round pick from Vanderbilt has amassed six missed tackles this season, tied for the fifth-most in the NFL. Houston needs their best playmaker historically to have an impact game if the Texans want to snap their losing streak.

4 — New England's red zone touchdowns

The Patriots have scored just four red zone touchdowns this season, tied with the New York Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers for second-fewest in the NFL. New England’s red zone conversion rate is the second-lowest in the league at 36.4%. If Houston can stop them in the red zone, it should give the team confidence.

3 — The Patriots' rank for average starting field position

New England gets the benefit of starting at their own 31.5-yard line on average, good for third-best in the NFL. The Texans have to be careful with the football and not allow the Patriots to have short fields to work with. Furthermore, the coverage on kickoffs and punts has to be superb in order to limit the Patriots’ return yardage. Houston will need all the advantages they can cultivate.

2 — Houston's rank for pressures

The Texans defense has generated 25 pressures, the second fewest in the NFL. Defensive coordinator Lovie Smith’s scheme is predicated on getting to the quarterback, but it isn’t meeting that objective through the first four games. Against a rookie quarterback, the Texans will have to ensure that they are able to get after Jones.

1 — Mac Jones' rank for being blitzed

No one has been blitzed more in the league this season than the first-rounder from Alabama. Teams have dialed up the blitz 59 times against Jones. While blitzing is not in Lovie Smith’s philosophy, he ought to consider it given the Texans are facing a rookie quarterback and also need the psychological boost big pressure could bring to the defense.