New England Patriots
The Patriots are moving on to play the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship game.
FOXBOROUGH – C.J. Stroud threw four interceptions during a disastrous first half, and the Patriots still had a hard time putting the Texans away.
Ultimately, New England did enough to win the AFC divisional-round game, 28-16. However, an inability to swing turnovers into points made this game much closer than it needed to be.
Marcus Jones was the lone exception, taking a wobbly Stroud throw the distance for a pick-6 touchdown that helped the Patriots build a 21-10 halftime lead.
But the Patriots found themselves clinging to a one-possession lead after a scoreless third quarter. Drake Maye had his moments — hitting Kayshon Boutte, DeMario Douglas, and Stefon Diggs for touchdowns, but he also fumbled four times and lost two of them.
Neither team was able to get much going on the ground. Good field position was extremely valuable in this slugfest with all of the turnovers.
But the Patriots are moving on to play the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship game. Here’s a look at who stood out and struggled during the win that got them there.
Stock Up
Carlton Davis
Davis did not have a single interception during the regular season, but he snagged a pair of picks in this divisional-round win.
Both were difficult grabs — he dove in front of Christian Kirk and managed to stay inbounds while he was in the air on the first one. He managed to catch the second one with one hand, getting his feet down as his momentum carried him backward.
He did pick up his ninth pass interference penalty of the season, but anytime you deliver two takeaways should result in a stock boost. He also had a team-high four pass deflections.
K’Lavon Chaisson
Chaisson added to his list of big-time plays this season by popping Stroud with a play where the Houston quarterback wound up throwing the ball off-balance and Jones fielded it like a pop fly before running it back for a touchdown.
From the punch-out against Baltimore to a pair of sacks last week and now fueling the Jones interception, Chaisson has come trough in several big moments this season.
He also recorded a sack, a tackle for loss, and three QB hits against the Texans.
Kayshon Boutte
With the Patriots clinging to a five-point lead in the fourth quarter, Boutte extended his arm for a marvelous 32-yard touchdown catch.
Big moment, clutch play, against one of the league’s premier defenses. His focus and body control have led to a number of explosive plays this season.
Boutte led the Patriots’ receivers with three catches for 75 yards.
Marcus Jones
Jones was impactful on defense and the return game.
Taking the interception return in for a touchdown gave the Patriots points at a time when the offense was sputtering. He broke up a pair of passes.
He also picked up 53 yards on four punt returns, helping the Patriots in the field position battle.
Anfernee Jennings
For the second week in a row during these playoffs, Jennings delivered a sack. He chipped in five tackles including one for loss.
This was a player who found himself buried on the depth chart and subjected to trade rumors during the preseason.
He now has a pair of sacks heading into the Patriots’ first AFC Championship game appearance since 2018.
Rhamondre Stevenson
The Texans made the Patriots work for everything, and Stevenson produced 70 hard-earned yards on 16 carries.
He was also active in the short-passing game, catching all four of his targets. Moving the ball was difficult, but Stevenson handled his workload well.
Craig Woodson
Woodson also had a pair of takeaways in this game, picking off Stroud and falling on a fumble.
The rookie safety was all over the field, breaking up three passes and contributing five tackles.
He took a hard hit to the head at the end of his interception, but was eventually cleared to return to the game.
Stock Flat
DeMario Douglas
Credit to the Patriots’ coaches for going for it on fourth down early in the game, and to Maye for finding Douglas on a quick slant over the middle for the game’s first score.
Douglas caught both of his targets and averaged 18 yards per catch, reflecting his role as someone who hasn’t had a ton of usage this season but is capable of breaking off a big play at any moment.
The interior offensive line
It wasn’t a great day for the offensive line in general, but it seemed like an outsized amount of the Texans’ pressure came from the edges in this one.
The Patriots topped 100 rushing yards, and Maye was able to make plays when he needed to.
The Texans’ edge-rushers, Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter produced all five of Houston’s sacks.
Stock Down
Drake Maye
This wasn’t a great game for Maye. He had the touchdown throw to Boutte at the end, which broke the game open, but four fumbles and an interception typically isn’t the kind of day that gets the job done.
CJ Stroud kept giving the Patriots’ gifts, and New England was able to take advantage. Maye had three touchdown passes, two of them in short yardage situations.
He was held under 200 yards passing and went 16-for-27, but it was enough for this season’s final game at Gillette Stadium to be a win.
The offensive tackles
It was a rough day for Will Campbell and Morgan Moses. They had a tough assignments dealing with Hunter and Anderson, both All-Pro level players.
Hunter and Anderson combined for five sacks and a pair of tackles for loss between them.
To Campbell’s credit, he kept things from being worse by hustling after Maye’s strip sacks and diving on a pair of them.
Still, not a great performance on either side against a pair of really tough players.
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