FOXBORO — Snow falling, the crowd belting out songs from the 1980s, the Patriots advancing to the AFC Championship Game.
The glory days are back in Foxboro.
Everything that was said all week about the Texans’ ferocious defense was true in Sunday’s divisional-round playoff game. But with the Patriots facing elimination, their defense was better in the 28-16 win over the Texans.
The Patriots advanced to the AFC title game against a Denver Broncos team suddenly without their starting quarterback with the win over the Texans. The game was far sloppier and felt closer than the final score would indicate, but the Patriots move on.
“I’m excited for these guys, but also, they’re not satisfied, and I can tell that,” head coach Mike Vrabel said.
What started as a football game quickly turned into a turnover fest. Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud was intercepted four times in the first half, and running back Woody Marks added a fumble in the third quarter. Patriots quarterback Drake Maye turned over the ball just three times (one interception and two lost fumbles), but fumbled a total of four times while under siege from Texans pass rushers Will Anderson and Danielle Hunter.
It was the most combined turnovers (eight) in a playoff game since the 2015 NFC Championship game between the Carolina Panthers and Arizona Cardinals.
Maye didn’t start the game well, but he came up clutch, again, when it mattered, delivering a game-sealing touchdown pass to wide receiver Kayshon Boutte early in the fourth quarter.
“It wasn’t pretty,” Vrabel said. “Defense kept us in there. When we needed it, our offense was able to come through late in the game there in the second half with a touchdown, giving us a two-score lead.”
From there, the Patriots leaned on Rhamondre Stevenson to bleed out the clock.
The Patriots quickly went three-and-out on their first drive, picking up just 5 yards on a third-down completion to Stefon Diggs before punting.
The Texans picked up 3 yards with two incompletions — one an errant pass and the other a drop — and a short run before they were forced to punt, as well.
The Patriots fared much better on their second drive with quarterback Drake Maye finding wide receiver DeMario Douglas on a 28-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown to go up 7-0. The Patriots picked up 66 yards on just six plays before finding the end zone. The touchdown came when Vrabel took a calculated risk, passing on fourth-and-1. It paid off with early points.
An illegal shift penalty wiped out a Texans touchdown on third-and goal from the Patriots’ 1-yard line. The Patriots then forced an incompletion, and the Texans settled for a 35-yard field goal from Ka’imi Fairburn to trim the Patriots’ lead to 7-3 after a 10-play, 65-yard drive. The biggest play came when Texans QB C.J. Stroud, with nothing but time in the pocket, found tight end Dalton Schultz wide open with nothing but green turf in front of him.
The Patriots went nowhere but backwards on their ensuing drive. Maye was strip-sacked on third-and-10 after a run for no gain and an incomplete pass that was batted at the line. Left tackle Will Campbell jumped on the ball and saved the day, leading to a punt from the Patriots’ 3-yard line.
After plenty of close calls on the first 11 passing attempts of the game, Stroud finally threw an interception on the Texans’ third drive. It was Carlton Davis’ first in a Patriots uniform. The veteran cornerback dove for the pass and just got a knee down while hauling in the pick.
It didn’t matter. Maye fumbled on a 4-yard rush on the second play of the Patriots’ ensuing drive, and it was recovered by the Texans.
The Texans were able to capitalize on Maye’s turnover, moving 27 yards on six plays. Stroud found wide receiver Christian Kirk in the end zone for a 10-yard touchdown with cornerback Marcus Jones in coverage to take a 10-7 lead.
The Patriots managed one first down but ultimately only went 12 yards on six plays before punting back to the Texans.
The Texans’ drive lasted exactly one play. Outside linebacker K’Lavon Chaisson brought pressure, and Stroud made a horrific throw off his back foot. Jones picked it out of the air and brought it back 26 yards for a pick-six touchdown.
The Texans’ next drive lasted four plays before Stroud threw his third interception of the game. This one careened off Xavier Hutchinson’s hands and into the waiting arms of safety Craig Woodson.
The two teams then traded three-and-outs before the Patriots scored their third touchdown with 3:12 left in the half. Completions to wide receiver Kayshon Boutte accounted for 43 of 56 yards. Maye found wide receiver Stefon Diggs in the end zone for a 7-yard touchdown with the veteran pass-catcher showing out his strong hands to snag the ball out of the air.
The Texans managed to put together a four-play, 27-yard drive before Stroud threw his fourth interception with Davis picking it off again near the sideline.
The Patriots couldn’t do anything with it and exchanged three-and-outs and punts with the Texans again. Maye closed out the first half with an interception on a Hail Mary attempt with the Patriots leading 21-10.
Stoud and the Texans were able to put points on the board coming out of the half, settling for a 25-yard field goal after Jones broke up a pass intended for Kirk on third-and-2.
Maye turned the ball over again with his fourth fumble (second lost), giving the Texans the ball at the Patriots’ 33-yard line. They got to the 17-yard line before cornerback Christian Gonzalez, stripped Marks, with Woodson recovering the fumble.
The Patriots went nowhere and were forced to punt after a three-and-out. The Texans were able to respond with three more points off of a 51-yard field goal from Fairburn to cut the Patriots’ lead to 21-16.
The one-score lead didn’t stand for long. The Patriots extended their lead to 28-16 with a 32-yard touchdown pass from Maye to Boutte, who hauled the ball in one-handed over Texans All-Pro cornerback Derek Stingley Jr.
BEST
WR Kayshon Boutte: Boutte made some comments that rubbed Texans fans the wrong way this week, seemingly downplaying the impact of their top cornerbacks. Well, Boutte was right when he said, “I think they just physical cornerbacks. But at the end of the day, I’m physical too. That’s a matchup I like every day of the week.” He caught three passes for 75 yards with a touchdown.
CB Carlton Davis III: The veteran cornerback registered his first interception in a Patriots uniform, just getting his knee down on a diving pick late in the first quarter. Davis wasn’t done. He picked off Stroud again late in the second quarter. He was flagged three times — once for a facemask and twice for defensive pass interference — but made up for it with the picks.
OLB K’Lavon Chaisson: The veteran pass rusher brought pressure on two of Stroud’s interceptions and later registered a sack.
CB Marcus Jones: The Patriots’ top slot cornerback allowed a touchdown in the first half to Kirk but almost immediately avenged it with a pick-six.
S Craig Woodson: The rookie came away with two takeaways, intercepting Stroud and hopping on a fumble caused by Gonzalez.
WORST
LT Will Campbell: Anderson and Danielle Hunter nearly took over the game with a combined five sacks and three forced fumbles. Campbell allowed two sacks and five total pressures, per PFF’s charting.
QB Drake Maye: The Patriots young quarterback struggled mightily at times against the fierce, swarming Texans defense, fumbling four times. He also threw an interception, though it came on a Hail Mary attempt. The positive: Maye threw three touchdown passes and played better late in the game.
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