8 Takeaways From the Patriots Divisional Round Victory Over the Texans to Reach the AFC Championship Game
Maye also layered a pretty throw into Boutte on a slant that led to a 25-yard gain on the Patriots second touchdown drive. This time, the Pats ran play-action against a two-high safety shell with a slant-flat combination to Maye’s left. Maye moves the short zone-dropper, S Jalen Pitre, with his eyes on the flat and then lays a throw into Boutte on the run for yards after the catch.
Although turnovers could get the Patriots beat in the future, Maye is cancelling some of those out with explosive plays. On Sunday, his two explosive touchdowns were the difference in the game compared to his QB counterpart on the other sideline.
4. Patriots O-Line Battles with “Transformers” on the Texans Defensive Line
After seeing them for the second time in his NFL career, Maye referred to Texans EDGEs Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter as Transformers, pointing to their size and freakish athleticism.
Houston’s bookend edge rushers, which are the best tandem in the league, combined to have five sacks and eight total pressures while causing three fumbles – total game-wreckers. However, the overall pressure rate doesn’t look too bad on initial viewing despite Houston’s five sacks. Maye was only under pressure on 27.3% of his drop-backs and most of those came off the left side. Rookie LT Will Campbell struggled vs. the Transformers, allowing two sacks and five total pressures. Mostly, it was Anderson who did the damage.
“I need to play better. I hold myself to a higher standard than what I put out tonight,” Campbell said. “Whenever you’re going against good players, the margin for error is very small and there’s some stuff I have to clean up. It just takes more practice.”
That said, the rest of the Patriots O-Line only allowed three total pressures and RT Morgan Moses only surrendered one in 18 matchups vs. Danielle Hunter. Plus, the Pats were able to grind out a 10-play, 44-yard drive with eight runs to get off their own 4-yard line in the fourth quarter. The “classy” drive, as Vrabel put it, chewed 5:58 off the clock and flipped field position, punting the ball back to Houston at their own 14.
Campbell’s struggles with one of the best pass-rush tandems in the NFL will be over-analyzed. Still, the rest of the offensive line held its own against the Texans pass rush and the Patriots ran it well when needed.
5. More on the Patriots Defensive Game Plan vs. Stroud and the Texans
After giving the coaching staff the flowers they deserved in the Wild Card win over the Chargers, we wanted to give the players the love first this week. That said, defensive play-caller Zak Kuhr called another solid game on Sunday night. The Pats majored in quarters (14 snaps) and cover-one (11 snaps) against Stroud, using the two-high safety shells to keep a lid on the defense.
New England also continued to blitz at a high rate, with a 46.2% blitz rate, which led to four of Stroud’s six turnover-worthy plays. Stroud was 8-of-23 for 89 yards and two interceptions when the Pats blitzed, so those schemes were mostly effective again after a somewhat slow start (Kirk TD). Kuhr’s increased aggressiveness on early-down calls in the postseason has led to two terrific defensive performances.
6. Patriots Corners Play Sides Rather Than Traveling with Texans Wideouts
With the Texans down star receiver Nico Collins (concussion), it made sense that the Patriots didn’t see either WR Xavier Hutchinson or WR Jayden Higgins as worthy of shadow coverage. Instead, Pro Bowl CB Christian Gonzalez and CB Carlton Davis III played sides, with Davis on the boundary side (44 snaps at LCB) and Gonzalez playing as the field corner (33 snaps at RCB). That led to a season-high 15 targets for Gonzalez, who allowed a 53.3% catch rate (8-of-15) with 67 yards and a pass breakup into his coverage.
As for Davis, he was targeted eight times, logging his two interceptions while allowing three catches for 33 yards. Davis also had a tough whistle again, with two DPI calls going against him. In the slot, NCB Marcus Jones covered Texans WR Christian Kirk on 22 routes, as expected. After having eight catches for 144 yards in the Wild Card round, Kirk only had two catches for 20 yards with a touchdown against Jones, who answered with a pick-six and a pass breakup – the Pats CB was great again.
7. Breaking Down the Pats Receiver and Running Back Usage vs. Texans
The Patriots played all five of their receivers while RB Rhamondre Stevenson (39 snaps) was the lead-back with rookie TreVeyon Henderson (25 snaps) spelling him. Stevenson still got the bulk of the work despite suffering an eye injury (he returned after a brief absence). Stevenson was solid once again with several dirty runs in the second half, getting the Pats off their goal-line with four successful runs on zone schemes.
In the passing game, WR Stefon Diggs caught a key third down (14 yards) and Douglas and Boutte had long touchdowns. Boutte also drew a 17-yard pass interference penalty to move the chains on third down. Although it wasn’t a hugely productive day for the Pats through the air, all three receivers came up big in key moments. They’ll need more from their passing attack next week in Denver and hopefully beyond.
8. Rookie K Andy Borregales Hits Four Extra Points, P Bryce Baringer Adds Three I20s
On special teams, it was good to see Borregales knock all four kicks through in snowy conditions, as the rookie plays his first bad-weather football in the NFL. Baringer also pinned the Texans inside their own 20-yard line three times, PR Marcus Jones had a 24-yard return to give the Patriots a chance at points before halftime, and the Texans return units were held in check. If we aren’t writing anything bad about the kicking game, that’s usually a good thing.
Overall, the Patriots are headed to the AFC Championship Game on the back of two terrific defensive performances against the Chargers and Texans. New England needs to be more consistent on offense, but they’re still creating more big plays through the air than their opponents, which has been the difference.
Next up, the Broncos with backup QB Jarrett Stidham, who once had a shot at being New England’s starter in the post-Brady era. Denver’s defense is legit and Mile High is a tough place to win, but there’s something special happening with these Patriots – off to the AFC title game.
