Patriots Divisional Report Card In 28-16 Win Over The Texans
Patriots Divisional Report Card: Grading New England's 28-16 Playoff Win Over the Texans
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The Patriots earned their way straight into the AFC Conference Championship Game this Sunday in a hard-fought, at times sloppy game, given the elements and both defenses’ play.
I know fans are upset with the national media about the way the team is getting very little respect, and I would agree with that assessment. I found it curiously hilarious that all of ESPN’s football show crew picked Houston to win, and none of them, not a single one, had the Patriots scoring more than 17 points. And yet on Monday, Dan Orlovsky said that 31 other QBs would have won that game. Hmm, then why did you pick them?
Last week, Kyle Brandt did one of his hilarious over-the-top segments about the Texans’ defense, about how scary they are (and they are). But then on Monday, he spoke about New England’s two playoff wins, and now they are facing Jarrett Stidham in Denver. Brandt asked, “Has anyone ever won a Super Bowl without playing anyone?” My goodness.
The Patriots’ defense is getting very little respect nationally. We’ll see if they can continue that against Sean Payton’s scheme next week.
The Patriots will travel to Denver on Sunday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. in the AFC Conference Championship round of the playoffs.
So, as we always do, let’s break it down by position
Drake Maye has fumbled six times in two playoff games, two against the Chargers and four against Houston. That cannot continue. He’s lost three of those fumbles. He also had an interception, but that one wasn’t an issue. They tried a Hail Mary with a few seconds left in the half, and the ball was picked off in the end zone.
A combination of the Texans’ pressure and the elements caused him to miss some throws. Give Houston’s pass rush credit. They were relentless and brought a lot of pressure on Maye.
But Maye also made some outstanding throws. All three TD passes were outstanding throws. He finished 16-27 for 179 yards with 3 TDs and an INT. His passer rating was 100.8. He’s the only QB to throw three TD passes against the Texans this season…
Rhamondre Stevenson continued his excellent play, he left for a time with an eye injury, but returned, and was immense on the Patriots’ drive that began on their own three-yard line, which ate up over six minutes of clock in the fourth quarter.
Stevenson finished with 16 carries for 70 yards, with those tough ones coming when everyone in the stadium knew they were going to run the ball.
TreVeyon Henderson had tough sledding on Sunday. He had just 25 yards on 12 carries. Neither could do much in the passing game. Stevenson had just 11 yards on four catches, while Henderson had one catch for -2.
Demario Douglas got things started on the Patriots’ second drive with a 28-yard touchdown catch on 4th and 1. He got open quickly and beat safety Calen Bullock, who had no help behind in as Houston was in a Cover Zero blitz. Douglas added another catch later in the game.
Stefon Diggs had four catches for 40 yards, including an outstanding seven-yard TD catch, showcasing his strong hands between two Houston defenders. The story of the day, as well as the play of the game, belonged to Kayshon Boutte.
Boutte had three catches for 75 yards and also drew a 17-yard pass interference penalty against his former college teammate Derek Stingley Jr. His 32-yard one-handed touchdown catch in the end zone was one of the best plays in this season’s playoff action. That put the game away.
Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper were quiet in the passing game. Hooper had one catch for 14 yards, while Henry had one catch for just five.
However, both played solidly in the running game, blocking for the backs. Hooper had a key block in Stevenson’s 20-yard run on the Patriots’ first scoring drive.
The Texans came after the rookies on the left side of the offensive line, and it was an overmatch at times. Will Anderson had three sacks, Danielle Hunter had two, and they forced three fumbles. Maye’s other fumble came on a broken play run.
Campbell had another rough outing, giving up two of those sacks and being put on roller skates for much of the day. However, Morgan Moses had a clean sheet, and on that time-consuming drive, the running game was right behind the veteran. That was impressive.
The defensive line owned the line of scrimmage on Sunday. Houston had eight yards rushing on 12 carries in the first half. For all the hand-wringing on why C.J. Stroud struggled so badly, there’s your reason. No running game, mixing four and five man fronts, and relentless blitzing had his head spinning.
Christian Barmore, Milton Williams, and Khyiris Tonga were immense in the middle of the line all game long. K’Lavon Chaisson had a sack, four QB hits, and caused Stroud to airmail an interception that Marcus Jones returned for a pick-six.
Anfernee Jenning continued his strong play down the stretch and had a sack, five tackles, a TFL, and a QB hit. Tonga had the other sack.
Robert Spillane and Christian Elliss were outstanding. They played downhill, filling the gaps and shutting down the run, and were excellent in pass coverage, taking away the middle of the field.
They combined for 10 tackles, and Elliss in particular was all over the field in pass coverage. Houston ran the ball 22 times for 48 yards (2.2-yard average).
It was curious that Houston kept targeting CB Christian Gonzalez throughout the game. Stroud attacked Gonzalez 16 times and didn’t have much to show for it. Gonzalez was immense on the back end. Carlton Davis had two interceptions and four passes defensed. Both of his picks were outstanding plays.
Marcus Jones was beaten for the Texans’ only score, but got that one back with his pick-six that made the score 14-10, and the Patriots never looked back.
Rookie safety Craig Woodson continues to look like an established veteran. He had an interception and a fumble recovery when Gonzalez ripped the ball out of Woody Marks’ hands.
The combination of pass rush and coverage limited Stroud to 20-47 for 212 yards (4.5-yard average) with one TD and four interceptions. His passer rating was 28.0.
The Patriots’ and Texans’ STs were excellent on Sunday night. The return game with Marcus Jones gave the team a boost. He had four punt returns for 53 yards, a 13.3-yard average.
Andy Borregales was good on all four PATs. The coverage units were solid, as were Bryce Barringer’s punts.
Barringer averaged 41.6 yards on eight punts with three inside the 20.
Mike Vrabel and the coaching staff had the team ready to go. Vrabel has hit on all the vibes all season long. The team never panics when things aren’t going right, and their resilience is superb
Huge kudos to Zak Kuhr for another great game plan he devised to dismantle the Texans’ offense. This young Patriots team, with the sprinkling of veteran leadership, has been a different team since that Week 3 loss to the Steelers. And the coaching staff has them ready to go every week.
Josh McDaniels got things figured out, and the offense moved the ball well after halftime.
We’re on to the Broncos for the AFC Championship Game in Denver. It has never been a kind place for the Patriots in general and especially in the playoffs.
We’ll break down the matchup detail in tonight’s Patriots No Huddle podcast (6:00 p.m.). Denver’s defense led the league with 68 sacks, which, considering the past two games, should give you pause, regardless of who is under center for the Broncos.
Follow me on Twitter @SteveB7SFG or email me at [email protected].
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