Welcome to Season 8, Episode 12 of the Unconventional Preview, a serious-yet-lighthearted, nostalgia-tinted look at the Patriots’ weekly matchup.
In some ways, the Houston Texans — the Patriots’ opponents on “Sunday Night Football’’ this week and a frequent stooge of the six-time Super Bowl champions through the years — are reminiscent of their Texas NFL brethren.
Like the Dallas Cowboys, whom the Patriots defeated, 13-9, last Sunday in a game that didn’t seem that close, the Texans can brag of a talent-laden roster, especially on offense. Yet even in winning seasons (they enter with a 7-4 record and the lead in the AFC South) they usually end up carrying the weight of an underachiever into the offseason.