In pregame introductions, the Patriots chose to introduce their starting defensive players, not the offense. They were sending a message.
“They’re a top-five defense as well,” coach Mike Vrabel said, referencing his fourth-ranked scoring defense. “Our guys are prideful men, they want to compete and they want to win, and they deserve the recognition they’re going to get.”
Get Starting Point
The Texans’ offense certainly deserves a lot of the blame for not handling the snowy conditions well. And Houston was a battered unit, playing without leading receiver Nico Collins or right tackle Trent Brown, and losing tight end Dalton Schultz early in the game.
But the Patriots’ defense carried the day as the Texans gained just 241 yards. It flustered C.J. Stroud, forcing him to throw four interceptions in the first half, tied for the most in the first half in playoff history. Stroud completed just 20 of 47 passes for 212 yards, and the Texans couldn’t run the ball, with Woody Marks rushing 14 times for 17 yards.
K’Lavon Chaisson and Christian Barmore were in Stroud’s face all afternoon. Carlton Davis, who didn’t have an interception all season, had two spectacular ones. Marcus Jones and Craig Woodson also came down with picks, with Jones returning his 26 yards for a touchdown.
The Patriots, 4-13 each of the last two seasons, improved to 16-3 in one of the best year-to-year turnarounds in NFL history. Now they travel to Denver to face the Broncos and backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham in the AFC Championship game. A trip to the Super Bowl, a pipe dream when the season began in August, is squarely in their sights.
“I’m excited for these guys, but also, they’re not satisfied, and I can tell that,” Vrabel said. “We know we’ve got to go on the road to a No. 1 seed in the AFC, and it’s not going to be easy. But we’ll come out and be ready to go.”
The Patriots have shown all season that Maye and their offense were capable of carrying them into the playoffs. Now they’re showing they have a defense that can carry them all the way.
▪ Though the scoreboard suggests the Patriots won handily, the game wasn’t settled until Kayshon Boutte’s 32-yard touchdown put them ahead by 12 points in the fourth quarter. Maye fumbled four times, losing two, and threw an interception as the Patriots squandered several opportunities. Though the Texans committed five turnovers, they were turned into just 7 points.
The Texans’ defense was every bit as good as the hype. Maye also doesn’t have much experience playing in cold and snow and could have handled it better. He finished 16 of 27 for 179 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception on a Hail Mary. The Patriots gained a season-low 248 yards and 3.9 yards per play, and went 3 for 14 on third down.
But when the Patriots needed him to come through, Maye threw a perfect deep pass to Boutte for the game-sealing touchdown.
DeMario Douglas (left) opened the scoring with a 28-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter.Barry Chin/Globe Staff
▪ Even the few plays they did execute well were done by the skin of their teeth. DeMario Douglas’s 28-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter was tipped and almost swatted away by a diving Calen Bullock. Stefon Diggs’s 7-yard touchdown catch was thrown into a tiny window between two defenders. And Boutte did his best Superman routine with a one-handed catch on his touchdown.
▪ There’s no shame in being beaten by Will Anderson and Danielle Hunter, but the Texans’ All-Pro edge rushers schooled the Patriots’ tackles. Anderson beat rookie left tackle Will Campbell for two strip-sacks and finished with three sacks overall. Hunter beat right tackle Morgan Moses for a strip-sack and finished with two sacks. Campbell redeemed himself by recovering two of Maye’s fumbles, one of which was deep in Patriots territory and could have been a scoop-and-score for the Texans.
Maye rushed four times for 10 yards; Josh McDaniels probably should have called more designed runs or bootlegs to slow the pass rush and take advantage of Maye’s feet.
Campbell has been solid as a rookie, but was absolutely dominated by Anderson and the Browns’ Myles Garrett (five sacks) in October. The Patriots will probably keep Campbell at left tackle next year, but he hasn’t proven yet that he can be the long-term answer.
▪ A wild game for Davis. Both of his interceptions were phenomenal — an over-the-shoulder catch in which he tapped his knee inbounds, then a bobbling catch near the sideline in which he gathered the ball and tapped both feet. He also had a terrific pass breakup against Jayden Higgins.
But Davis also accounted for all three of the Patriots’ penalties — two pass interference calls for 41 yards, and a 7-yard face mask inside the red zone. Davis has been a little inconsistent this year in man coverage, and we saw that again.
Marcus Jones’s 26-yard pick-6 in the second quarter gave the Patriots the lead for good.Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
▪ Jones continued to play like the Patriots’ best defender. Though he was in coverage for the Texans’ first touchdown, a 10-yard catch by Christian Kirk, Jones flipped the momentum with a 26-yard pick-6 in the second quarter, and later made a fantastic pass breakup against Kirk on third down in the red zone. Jones has four touchdowns this season (two interceptions, two punt returns) and has become the heart and soul of the defense.
Hear what Drake Maye, Mike Vrabel and more had to say about Sunday’s victory. (undefined)
Ben Volin can be reached at [email protected].
