The Houston Texans and the New England Patriots will clash in a huge NFL Thursday Night Football game on tonight. Both teams have gained two wins from two so far this season, and both come into today's face-off brimming with confidence. However, something must give today and only one team will maintain their 100 percent start to the season by the end of the game. Today's big match up has a scheduled start time of 8.25 p.m. ET and takes place from the Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. The game can be watched on TV on the CBS network or online through live stream via the link below.
The big news heading into tonight's Thursday Night Football clash is that Patriots' quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo has been listed as doubtful.
On Wednesday Garoppolo only took part in limited training with the Patriots' team as he continues to recover from the injury to his right shoulder that took place in last week's game against the Miami Dolphins.
The quarterback completely sat out training on Monday, but was seen participating in a limited training session on Tuesday. The Patriots were still being cautious on Wednesday and that has led to speculation that he could miss today's game.
If Garoppolo does miss out then New England will have to turn to rookie Jacoby Brissett as Tom Brady is still unavailable. If Brissett does start it will be his first career start in the NFL, and with the Patriots having failed to add another quarterback to their roster, if Brissett gets injured in the game they would have to turn to receiver Julian Edelman as their replacement for the quarterback position.
Garoppolo has filled the quarterback role admirably over recent weeks, and he would be a big loss for the Patriots if he does indeed miss out. Last week against the Miami Dolphins, with Garoppolo in the team, New England rushed to a 21-0 lead as the quarterback threw three touchdown passes early on. However, without Garoppolo New England were decidedly less effective in offense, putting on just 10 more points for the rest of the game as they held on for a closer than expected 31-24 win.
Meanwhile, the Texans come into today's game as favorites, having impressed over the first two weeks of the season. Excellent wins over the Chicago Bears and the Kansas City Chiefs has boosted confidence in the camp and expectations for this season are rising.
If Houston can claim a road win over the New England Patriots it would cement the Texans place as authentic contenders for the AFC.
But if the Patriots can manage to still win despite being forced to use their third string quarterback, it would surely make them hot favorites to go all the way this year to the Super Bowl. Tom Brady will still be out for another week following today's game, but if the Patriots can go either 4-0 or 3-1 without him it would be seen as a huge success for the team in his absence.
Today's big NFL Thursday Night Football game for Week 3 of the NFL 2016 regular season between the New England Patriots and the Houston Texans has a scheduled start time of 8.25 p.m. ET and can be watched on TV on the CBS network or online through live stream by clicking here.
