Houston (13-5) at New England (15-3)
Sunday, 3 p.m. EST, ESPN, ABC
BetMGM NFL odds: Patriots by 3
Against the spread: Texans 10-8; Patriots 12-5-1
Series record: Patriots lead 11-4
Last meeting: Texans won 41-21 in Foxborough, Mass. on Oct. 10, 2024.
Last week: Texans beat Pittsburgh 30-6; Patriots beat Los Angeles Chargers 16-3.
Texans offense: overall (18), rush (22), pass (14), scoring (13).
Texans defense: overall (1), rush (4), pass (6), scoring (2).
Patriots offense: overall (3), rush (6), pass (4), scoring (2).
Patriots defense: overall (8), rush (5), pass (9), scoring (4).
Turnover differential: Texans plus-17; Patriots plus-3
WR Christian Kirk had a career-high and franchise-playoff record 144 yards receiving with a touchdown in Houston’s win over the Steelers. It was his first 100-yard game since 2023 and the 10th in his career. His stellar performance came after a tough regular season where the eight-year veteran had a career-low 239 yards receiving in his first year in Houston after a trade from Jacksonville. Houston will need him to have another big game with Pro Bowl receiver Nico Collins likely to be out after sustaining a concussion Monday night. Kirk has had a touchdown reception in three straight playoff games.
QB Drake Maye. In his first career playoff game, the MVP candidate threw for a touchdown and led the team with 66 rushing yards in last week's win over the Chargers. He finished the regular season with a 72 percent completion rate, the highest in team history and the sixth best in NFL history. It’s better than Tom Brady, who had a 68.9 percent completion rate in 2007. The MVP that season was Brady.
Patriots offensive line vs. Texans pass rush. The Texans have two of the league's top pass rushers in All-Pro DE Will Anderson Jr. and DE Danielle Hunter. Maye was thrown off rhythm by a Chargers defense sacked him five times last week. It will be a big test for Patriots rookie LT Will Campbell, who gave up a strip-sack against Los Angeles.
Texans: Collins will likely be out Sunday after sustaining his second concussion of the season against the Steelers. He sat out Oct. 26 against the 49ers recovering from his first concussion this season. … Special teams player Justin Watson is also expected to sit out against the Patriots after sustaining a concussion Monday night. … T Trent Brown missed practice this week with an ankle injury but should be ready to go Sunday.
Patriots: CB Christian Gonzalez began the week in the concussion protocol after leaving last week's game with a head injury. ... RB Terrell Jennings, who has been on injured reserve, is also in the protocol after starting his 21-day return window. ... RT Morgan Moses missed Wednesday's practice with a knee issue. ... WR Alex Austin, who has been on IR with a wrist injury, returned to practice without restriction.
The Patriots are 2-0 against Houston in the playoffs. Both victories were in the divisional round. The most recent was a 34-16 home victory over the Texans on Jan. 14, 2017.
The Texans have advanced to the divisional round for a third straight season. … A win would put the Texans in the AFC championship game for the first time in franchise history. They enter the game 0-6 in the divisional round. … The Texans have a franchise-record 10-game winning streak. … They scored two defensive touchdowns and the 175 yards and six points they allowed were the fewest in a playoff game franchise history. It was the first time they hadn’t allowed a touchdown in a postseason game. … QB C.J. Stroud threw for 250 yards and a touchdown on Monday to become the fourth quarterback in NFL history to start and win a playoff game in each of his first three seasons. He had trouble hanging onto the ball against the Steelers, fumbling five times, losing two of them and throwing an interception. … RB Woody Marks had 112 yards rushing and a touchdown Monday night to become the third player in franchise history with a 100-yard rushing game in the playoffs. He is the first rookie to have at least 100 yards rushing and touchdown run in a postseason game since Cam Akers did it in 2021. … WR Jayden Higgins ranked second among rookies with six touchdown receptions this season. … TE Dalton Schultz ranked third among tight ends with 82 catches and his 777 yards receiving were sixth at his position. … DE Danielle Hunter had a sack and forced a fumble against the Steelers. He has had a sack in four of his past five playoff road games. He ranked third in the NFL with 15 sacks in the regular season for his seventh season with at least 10 sacks. … DE Will Anderson Jr. had a half sack and forced a fumble which was returned for a touchdown in the wild-card game. He had a career-high 12 sacks in the regular season to earn AP first team All-Pro honors. … DT Sheldon Rankins had 1 ½ sacks and returned a fumble 33 yards for a touchdown on Monday night. He is the first defensive tackle since 1982 with a fumble return for a score and a sack in a playoff game. … LB Azeez Al-Shaair had six tackles, including one for loss against the Steelers. … CB Kamari Lassiter had six tackles and a pass defensed Monday night. He had a career-high 17 passes defensed in the regular season. … CB Derek Stingley, who earned a second straight spot on the AP All-Pro first team this season, had 15 passes defensed in the regular season. … S Calen Bullock had a 50-yard interception return for a touchdown against the Steelers. ... The Patriots are back in the divisional round for the first time since their run to a sixth Super Bowl title in the 2018 season. ... With a victory, the Patriots would advance to their 16th conference championship game since the 1970 merger. ... The Patriots are 24-5 all time at home in the playoffs. .... New England is 16-6 all time in the divisional round and has won its past eight appearances in this round. ... The Patriots allowed just three points against the Chargers last week, tying a franchise low in the playoffs for the sixth time. ... The Patriots will look to win consecutive playoff games without allowing a touchdown for the second time. They previously did it in the playoffs during the 1996 season, beating Pittsburgh (28-3) and Jacksonville (20-6) in the divisional round and AFC championship game, respectively. ... WR Stefon Diggs has played in 15 postseason games and has 71 receptions for 925 yards and four touchdowns. He needs 75 yards to become the 17th NFL player to reach 1,000 postseason yards. Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski are the only Patriots to eclipse the mark. ... Diggs has four career 100-yard receiving games in the postseason and needs one more to become the 10th player in NFL history with at least five. ... DT Milton Williams has had back-to-back postseason games with two sacks. The only NFL player with at least two sacks in three straight postseason games was LB LaMarr Woodley with Pittsburgh when he had two sacks in four consecutive games (2008-09). ... LB K'Lavon Chaisson had two sacks in the win over the Chargers. He can join Williams with back-to-back postseason games with at least two sacks by reaching that mark again this week.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud looks for a receiver during the first half of NFL wild-card playoff football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) and tight end Hunter Henry (85) celebrate Maye's touchdown pass to Henry in the second half of an NFL wild-card playoff football game against the Los Angeles Chargers, in Foxborough, Mass., Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado said she presented her Nobel Peace Prize medal to President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday even as he has questioned her credibility to take over her country after the U.S. ousted then-President Nicolás Maduro.
The Nobel Institute has said Machado could not give her prize to Trump, an honor that he has coveted. Even if it the gesture proves to be purely symbolic, it was extraordinary given that Trump has effectively sidelined Machado, who has long been the face of resistance in Venezuela. He has signaled his willingness to work with acting President Delcy Rodríguez, who had been Maduro’s second in command.
“I presented the president of the United States the medal, the Nobel Peace Prize," Machado told reporters after leaving the White House and heading to Capitol Hill. She said she had done so "as a recognition for his unique commitment with our freedom.”
Trump has raised doubts about his stated commitment to backing democratic rule in Venezuela, giving no timetable on when elections might be held. Machado indicated that he had provided few specifics on that front during their discussion.
She did not provide more information on what was said, and the White House did not say if Trump accepted the medal or offer other details of its own.
After a closed-door meeting with Trump, Machado greeted dozens of cheering supporters waiting for her near the White House gates, stopping to hug many.
“We can count on President Trump,” she told them without elaborating, prompting some to briefly chant, “Thank you, Trump.”
Before her visit to Washington, Machado had not been seen in public since she traveled last month to Norway, where her daughter received the peace prize on her behalf. She had spent 11 months in hiding in Venezuela before she appeared in Norway after the ceremony.
The jubilant scene after her meeting with Trump stood in contrast to political realities in Venezuela. Rodríguez remains in charge of day-to-day government operations, along with others in Maduro’s inner circle. In her first state of the union speech Thursday, the interim president promoted the resumption of diplomatic ties between the historic adversaries and advocated for opening the state-run oil industry to more foreign investment after Trump pledged to seize control of Venezuelan crude sales.
Trump has said it would be difficult for Machado to lead because she “doesn’t have the support within or the respect within the country.” Her party is widely believed to have won 2024 elections rejected by Maduro.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt called Machado “a remarkable and brave voice” but also said the meeting didn’t mean Trump’s opinion of her changed, calling it “a realistic assessment.”
Leavitt told reporters that Trump supported new Venezuelan elections “when the time is right” but did not say when he thought that might be.
Leavitt said Machado had sought the face-to-face meeting without setting expectations for what would occur. She spent about two and a half hours at the White House.
“I don’t think he needs to hear anything from Ms. Machado," the press secretary said while the meeting was still going on, other than to have a ”frank and positive discussion about what’s taking place in Venezuela.”
After leaving the White House, Machado went on to a closed-door meeting with a bipartisan group of senators.
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said Machado told them that “if there’s not some progress, real progress towards a transition in power, and/or elections in the next several months, we should all be worried.”
“She reminded us that Delcy Rodríguez is, in many ways, worse than Maduro,” he added.
Asked if Machado had heard any commitment from the White House on holding elections in Venezuela, Murphy said, “No, I don’t think she got any commitment from them."
Sen. Bernie Moreno, an Ohio Republican, was exultant following the meeting, saying Machado "delivered a message that loud and clear: What President Trump did was the most important, significant event in Latin America. That getting rid of Maduro was absolutely essential.”
Machado's Washington stop coincided with U.S. forces in the Caribbean Sea seizing another sanctioned oil tanker that the Trump administration says had ties to Venezuela. It is part of a broader U.S. effort to take control of the South American country’s oil after U.S. forces captured Maduro and his wife less than two weeks ago at a heavily guarded compound in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas and brought them to New York to stand trial on drug trafficking charges.
Leavitt said Venezuela's interim authorities have been fully cooperating with the Trump administration and noted that Rodríguez's government said it planned to release more prisoners detained under Maduro. Among those released were five Americans this week.
Trump said Wednesday that he had a “great conversation” with Rodríguez, their first since Maduro was ousted.
Just hours after Maduro's capture, Trump said of Machado that “it would be very tough for her to be the leader.” Machado had steered a careful course to avoid offending Trump, notably after winning the peace prize, and had sought to cultivate relationships with him and key administration voices like Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The industrial engineer and daughter of a steel magnate, Machado began challenging the ruling party in 2004, when the nongovernmental organization she co-founded, Súmate, promoted a referendum to recall then-President Hugo Chávez. The initiative failed, and Machado and other Súmate executives were charged with conspiracy.
A year later, she drew the anger of Chávez and his allies again for traveling to Washington to meet President George W. Bush, whom Chávez considered an adversary.
Almost two decades later, she marshaled millions of Venezuelans to reject Chávez’s successor, Maduro, for another term in the 2024 election. But ruling party-loyal electoral authorities declared him the winner despite ample credible evidence to the contrary. Ensuing anti-government protests ended in a brutal crackdown.
Garcia Cano reported from Caracas, Venezuela. Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro, Stephen Groves, Michelle L. Price and Matthew Lee in Washington, and Megan Janetsky in Mexico City contributed to this report.
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado is welcomed at the Capitol before a meeting with senators, from left, Sen. John Curtis, R-Utah, Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., and Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., as the Nobel Peace Prize recipient visits American leaders two weeks after President Donald Trump toppled Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro in a stunning military raid, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, center, leaves the Capitol, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, center, is welcomed by Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., left, Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., far left, and Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., right, as the Nobel Peace Prize recipient visits American leaders at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado gestures to supporters on Pennsylvania Avenue as she leaves the White House after meeting with President Donald Trump Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado waves to supporters on Pennsylvania Avenue as she leaves the White House after meeting with President Donald Trump Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado smiles on Pennsylvania Avenue as she leaves the White House after meeting with President Donald Trump Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado waves to supporters on Pennsylvania Avenue as she leaves the White House after meeting with President Donald Trump Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
FILE - U.S. President George Bush, right, meets with Maria Corina Machado, executive director of Sumate, a non-governmental organization that defends Venezuelan citizens' political rights, in the Oval Office of the White House, Washington, May 31, 2005. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)
FILE - Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado gestures to supporters during a protest against President Nicolas Maduro the day before his inauguration for a third term, in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos, file)
