FOXBOROUGH– The Patriots did not play the cleanest game but they made big plays when it counted to beat the Houston Texans 28-16 and advance to their 16th AFC Championship game in franchise history.
Drake Maye and the offensive line struggled against the Texans vaunted front but when they needed to make big plays to maintain their lead, Maye and the offense stepped up and made them pay.
The defense was dominant, giving up only one touchdown and two field goals. Through two games, they have been on an unbelievable run.
Here are seven points from the Patriots win over the Texans.
1. Turnoverpalooza: The game featured 8 total turnovers, five from the Texans and three from the Patriots. Texans quarterback C.J Stroud threw four interceptions in an abysmal performance. Drake Maye was no better throw an interception and losing two fumbles. It was an ugly display of ball security by both teams but the Patriots survived it, won the game and advanced.
2. Maye’s Day: Maye had an up and down performance but you wouldn’t know looking at his stat line. He completed 16-of-28 passes for 179 yards and three touchdown passes. His only interception was at the end of the first half on a Hail Mary. It is the two fumbles lost that marred his day. He has got to take better care of the ball. It could still come back to bite the Patriots on the backside.
3. Big play Boutte: Kayshon Boutte made arguably the catch of the year on the game sealing 32 yard touchdown catch over former college teammate Derek Stingley. Boutte only caught 3 passes for 75 yards but he made two big catches that set up scores and scored on another one. He has become a reliable vertical threat for the Patriots.
4. Defense dominates: The defense was dominate. Marcus Jones returned an interception for a pick six and the defense racked up three sacks in the win. Through two games, the Patriots defense has been a force. The Patriots defense this postseason has allowed one touchdown, 9 sacks, 66 pressures and 6 takeaways. Total domination.
5. Free agent additions pay dividends: The Patriots spent $364 million dollars this past off-season in free agency, most in the NFL. The majority of that money was spent on defense. Carlton Davis paid dividends with two interceptions. K’Lavon Chaisson pressured Stroud into the throw that led to Marcus Jones pick six. Khyris Tonga had one of the Patriots three sacks. On offense, Stefon Diggs caught one of Maye’s three touchdown passes. The veteran free agents who were brought in to turn the team’s fortunes around made a big impact tonight and as a result, the Patriots are headed to their 16th AFC Championship game.
6. Offensive line is up and down: The offensive line struggled tonight but it was to be expected against arguably the most talented defensive front in the NFL. A front that sacked Drake Maye five times. The offensive line will have its hands full against a good Denver front next week but the Broncos front is not as good as this Houston front. Rookie left tackle Will Campbell talked about how good the Texans defense was but he also praised the Patriots defense.
“Oh, they’re both good. They’re both first-team All-Pro. You watch the tape, they both have combined after the night, and they both have 31 sacks. I don’t know. They’re talented. Their whole defense is, but our defense played better tonight. Our defense outplayed their defense. That’s something we talked about coming into the week. We knew it wasn’t going to be easy. We knew it was going to be a battle. Whenever your defense can get four interceptions, it’s pretty cool to watch and be a part of.”
7. Patriots prove how resilient they are: The Patriots proved just how resilient they are by responding every time the Texans were on the brink of seizing momentum. They didn’t bat an eye lash and made the necessary plays to recapture the momentum. I asked Mike Vrabel to define just how resilient his team was on Sunday.
“I think, again, there’s times where it doesn’t look great. And we know going against a great defense, which I mean that’s what they are, it’s hard. There’s some tough sledding. There’s some plays that don’t look great. It’s a fast, talented defense. And we talked about that coming in. But in the end, I felt like we just kind of stuck around. And we always talk about it only takes one play. And early on, that might have been Pop and Marcus. K.C. caused that touchdown that Marcus took back, or Kayshon in the second half and Drake giving him the ball. So it just takes one play. And I think that sparks us.”