New England have also made an unexpected play-off appearance this season with a new head coach in Mike Vrabel and a fellow second-year quarterback in Maye taking them from bottom to top of their division.
The Patriots improved from 4-13 in 2024 to 14-3 to clinch the AFC’s second seed, with that 10-win swing tied for the biggest turnaround in NFL history.
It is the first time the Patriots have won the AFC East division title and reached the AFC Championship game since legendary quarterback Tom Brady’s last two seasons in New England (2018 and 2019).
And in Maye, the third overall pick in the 2024 draft, the Patriots have finally found Brady’s long-term successor.
At 23, he is a year younger than the record seven-time Super Bowl winner was when he claimed his first NFL title in 2002, and Maye again showed a maturity beyond his years on Sunday.
Both he and opposite number CJ Stroud struggled with the wintry conditions and Maye had three turnovers – two from fumbles and one an interception. He was also sacked five times.
However, he also delivered three touchdown passes, two to help establish a 21-10 lead at half-time and the latter a 32-yard deep shot in the fourth quarter to Kayshon Boutte, who made a superb one-handed grab to seal victory.
Meanwhile, after throwing just eight interceptions in 14 games during the regular season, Houston’s third-year quarterback Stroud gave up four picks in the first half alone, with one of them returned for a touchdown by Marcus Jones.
For the Texans, this was a third straight exit at this stage in the play-offs, despite having the NFL’s top-ranked defence this season and winning 10 straight games coming into it.
Ironically, in next week’s AFC Championship game, Maye will face Jarrett Stidham, who was initially seen as Brady’s successor when he was drafted by the Patriots in 2019 and played that season as his back-up.
It never worked out in New England for Stidham but, after joining Denver in 2023, the 29-year-old will make only the fifth start of his NFL career because the Broncos’ first-choice quarterback Bo Nix broke his ankle in their win over Buffalo on Saturday.
