The New England Patriots are coming to town. The Houston Texans know —with a 1-10 record all-time against the vaunted dynasty up in Foxborough — what they have to do to beat them: bring back Clutch City.

“We’ve had some, some close bouts,” said outside linebacker Whitney Mercilus on Monday. “So, the thing is, we’ve got to be clutch in really tight moments and stuff like that. And we’ve got to play consistent. So, we just understand going into this game what we have to do.”

Sunday’s tilt with the Patriots will mark the fifth-straight season the Texans have hosted Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and Co. The last time Houston bested New England, it was 2010. Deshaun Watson was in high school.

The Texans have played the Patriots close in the past, most notably a 36-33 loss in 2017 and a 34-16 one in the 2016 playoffs — with the scoreboard depicting a blowout, but the film not doing so.

However, playing someone close isn’t worth anything, other than perhaps a cookie. The Texans, at 7-4, are playing to win. The prior results are not relevant, according to Mercilus.

“Past history, whatever, that’s behind us. What we have to do is live in the moment and the present and all that. So, that’s what mainly what we are focused on,” said Mercilus. “We’re just going to have to be in the moment. And keep laying brick by brick.”

For the first time since 2015, the Texans will host the Patriots. However, with New England standing at 10-1 with an elite defense, home-field advantage will only get Houston so far. To pull off an upset, and subsequently re-gain respect in the playoff hunt, the Texans must bring back Clutch City.