Pats Pulpit
After not winning a playoff game in each of their last six seasons, the New England Patriots are suddenly on the doorstep of the AFC Championship Game for the first time since 2018. To get there, however, they will have to follow up their win over the Los Angeles Chargers with a victory over the Houston Texans in the divisional round.
To do so, the Patriots have to bring their A-game in all three phases; the Texans have not lost a game in over two months, and are riding the longest win streak in football. Needless to say that it will take the entirety of the New England game day roster to snap that streak. However, we will take an especially close eye on the following six players.
Here are our pivotal Patriots for Sunday afternoon.
New England’s No. 1 running back has rounded nicely into form over the last few games, and the team will need him to keep riding high on Sunday. The run game itself will be in for a tough task against one of the stoutest defenses in all of football, but Stevenson himself still will play a big and likely multi-faceted role.
For starters, he will lead off a running back rotation also featuring second-round draft pick TreVeyon Henderson. The rookie will also be important given his dynamic skillset, but Stevenson out-snapping Henderson would not be a surprise for two reasons: he also has shown that he can be a factor as a receiver, which should become important given Houston’s relative inconsistency against the screen game this year, while also being one of the best pass-protecting backs in the NFL.
Our eyes will also be on the veteran for another reason, though. With snowy conditions in the forecast, ball security will be crucial. Stevenson has looked good in that area for most of the season and has gone fumble-free in 10 straight games, but he still put the ball on the ground three times earlier in the year and has a bit of a history.
Kayshon Boutte has some fond memories of playing the Texans, catching his first career touchdown over All-Pro Derek Stingley Jr. the last time the two faced off in Week 6 of the 2024 season. Just like then, Boutte and Stingley Jr. going at each other will likely happen on multiple occasions, but the third-year wideout could still be heavily involved in the game plan despite the quality of his opposition.
Boutte, after all, is the Patriots’ most consistently-employed deep-field receiver. The Texans defense, meanwhile, has been fairly pedestrian at stopping explosive passing plays (at least compared to most of its statistical rankings): Houston has surrendered 19 completions of 30 or more yards this season, which amounts to an average of more than one per game.
Drake Maye will take his shots, and if so Boutte — who is averaging 16.7 yards per catch this season and has hauled in four passes of...
