The Houston Texans reached this round with a 12 and 5 record after a dominant wild card win over Pittsburgh. They crushed the Steelers 30 to 6 at Acrisure Stadium.

Houston’s defense controlled the game from start to finish. A relentless pass rush and opportunistic secondary turned a close contest into a second half blowout.

Their season featured steady growth under C J Stroud and a defense that finished among the league’s best in points allowed.

The New England Patriots advanced with an 11 and 7 record after a tense wild card victory over Los Angeles. They protected a narrow fourth quarter lead with two critical defensive stops.

New England relied on a balanced offense and a young quarterback who gained confidence throughout the season. Their defense remained the team’s identity with disciplined coverage and timely pressure.

Both teams enter this matchup with momentum and belief. The game features two rising franchises with dynamic playmakers on both sides of the ball.

Key players who will shape this game

C J Stroud leads Houston with precise decision making and downfield accuracy. His command of the offense remains the foundation of the Texans passing attack.

Dameon Pierce adds physicality with his inside running and reliable production in short yardage situations. His success keeps Houston on schedule and opens play action opportunities.

Nico Collins stretches defenses with size and speed on the perimeter. Tank Dell adds explosive separation and quick strike potential from the slot and motion looks.

Houston’s defense features Will Anderson as a constant edge threat. Derek Stingley anchors the secondary with tight coverage and strong ball skills in man situations.

New England counters with Drake Maye who brings mobility and arm strength. His ability to extend plays outside structure stresses any pass rush.

Rhamondre Stevenson powers the Patriots ground game with tackle breaking runs and dependable pass protection. His presence helps control tempo and clock.

DeMario Douglas provides quickness and yards after catch ability in the short passing game.

The Patriots defense leans on Matthew Judon as its premier pass rusher. Christian Gonzalez stabilizes the secondary with smooth coverage and closing speed.

Both teams rely on young quarterbacks and aggressive defenses. One explosive play or takeaway could swing the entire night.

What awaits the winner

The winner advances to the AFC Championship Game. Their opponent will be either the Denver Broncos or the Buffalo Bills depending on the other divisional result.

A Texans win would continue their rapid rise under DeMeco Ryans and validate their defensive dominance. A Patriots win would mark a major step forward in their post Belichick era.

Wu Yize and Kyren Wilson will contest the second semi-final of the 2026 Masters after coming through matches of sharply contrasting nature.

In the first quarter-final of the day, Yize cantered to a whitewash victory to reach the semi-final as Xiao Guodong’s game unravelled amid a slew of errors.

The evening session delivered the match of the tournament so far, as Kyren Wilson saw a three-frame lead over Neil Robertson evaporate before clawing his way back to win a final-frame classic, a contest with the perfect theatrical mix of errors, drama and moments of sublime quality.

Wu routs dejected Xiao to reach semi-final

Wu Yize 6 – 0 Xiao Guodong (best of 11 frames)

New snooker sensation Yize Wu pounced on a lack of concentration from Xiao Guodong in the opening frames, compiling two sublime breaks of 112 and 93 to move 2–0 ahead.

Xiao then missed a straightforward red when given the chance of pulling a frame back, allowing Wu to take the third, and further errors left him trailing 4–0 at the interval.

Xiao’s miserable afternoon continued when he fluffed a safety, allowing Wu to produce a superb long red off the cushion on his way to an 84 break and a 5–0 lead.

Wu Yize then rounded off a near-flawless display with a 97 break to complete the whitewash and enhance his credentials as a formidable semi-final opponent.

Wilson edges Roberston in instant Masters classic

In a match worthy of a final, Kyren Wilson kept his nerve after seeing a 4–1 lead turn into a 5–4 deficit, before battling past Australia’s Neil Robertson in a tense and dramatic deciding frame.

The match was a perfect advertisement for the unique theatre of snooker, with five century breaks countered by some nerve-shredding safety play as both players strained desperately to get over the finishing line.

Wilson made a majestic start, taking advantage of a seemingly out-of-form Robertson to race into a 3–0 lead, aided by two century breaks.

At 4–1 down and seemingly staring the exit door in the face, Robertson clicked into gear, winning three frames in succession, including back-to-back century breaks of 110 and 107 to level the match and leave Wilson reeling.

But when Robertson edged ahead, Wilson responded with a nerveless 111 break to force the decider, then moved in front with a 42 break to leave Robertson needing snookers.

The Aussie drew a foul to give himself a chance and keep Wilson’s nerves to the fore, but after a brief game of cat and mouse, the Englishman dropped the brown and blue and the players shook hands, bringing to an end a match that will take some topping as the game of the tournament.

There is no plan.

The Indiana House Speaker Todd Huston has a major dilemma. Apparently he does not have an endless supply of public money to build sports venues but Indiana might have a chance at adding major league sports. Huston has decided to put all of his chips in and show the ownership of the Chicago Bears National Football League franchise that he wants them somewhere in northwest Indiana and it’s too bad Indianapolis in that city’s quest for state money for a Major League Soccer stadium in town. Huston said that “discussions involving the Bears need to happen quickly,” although it does not appear that the Illinois governor or the state legislature is in any rush to give the Bears’ franchise ownership any money to build a stadium in Arlington Heights, a Chicago suburb.

The Indiana Governor Mike Braun and several state legislators would support building a stadium for the football team. There is no offer on the table from Indiana. Hammond might be a spot of interest. It is less than 30 miles south of Chicago. In December 2025, the Bears’ franchise President and CEO Kevin Warren sent another letter to Bears’ ticket holders, marketing partners and fans updating them on how a possible move to suburban Arlington Heights is going. Well it turns out that moving to Arlington Heights is not going according to plan and another strategy may be needed. A plan to build a Major League Soccer stadium in Indianapolis to attract an MLS expansion franchise was gaining steam in 2025 but the plan needed state money. That plan seemingly has been shoved to the backburner. The Bears franchise ownership wanted more than a billion dollars from Illinois lawmakers for a stadium-village. It’s Indiana’s turn to come up with a public money offer for a Bears franchise venue.