Battle Red Blog
The Houston Texans have reached the summit of their own success by advancing to the divisional round for the seventh time in franchise history. Will the seventh time be the lucky charm? We spoke with Taylor Kyles from Pats Pulpit about the upcoming tilt between the Texans and Patriots. This will be the third time the two teams clash in the divisional round. A win against the Pats would go a long way in exorcising some demons.
Battle Red Blog: Drake Maye is obviously the biggest story in New England this season based on his growth from year one to year two. I open the floor to you to make the best MVP case you can for him.
Taylor Kyles: Drake Maye and Matthew Stafford are both worthy candidates, but Maye has done more with less while excelling in adverse conditions. He’s throwing to some ultra-reliable veterans, including wide receivers Stefon Diggs and Kayshon Boutte and tight end Hunter Henry, but Maye’s poise, mobility, and accuracy have made them among the most productive and efficient players at their positions. The second-year quarterback has also thrived in the toughest conditions, ranking among the league’s best when pressured or blitzed and finishing with one of the best deep passer ratings in at least a decade. Maye is an elite pocket passer at just 23 years old, and aside from occasionally poor ball security, he’s improved in just about every significant area.
When comparing the top two candidates straight up, Maye brings immense value as a scrambler and occasional designed runner, which Stafford simply can’t at this point in his career. Maye is also 6-0 against common opponents compared to Stafford’s 4-2 record, and Maye has the better stat line. ESPN’s Bill Barnwell also did an excellent job debunking the strength-of-schedule argument, revealing that the two teams have faced comparable slates of defenses. So, while I understand the award is likely Stafford’s to lose, given his unreal 46 touchdown passes, I think there’s a much stronger case for Maye.
BRB: The Patriots confused the Chargers in the wild card round and held them to three points. Did this performance surprise you or have you seen this from this group all season?
TK: I think the Chargers’ confusion was more an indictment of their former OC Greg Roman, as there weren’t many wrinkles the Patriots hadn’t shown in previous games. That said, interim DC Zak Kuhr did an excellent job spinning the dial and mixing up pressure schemes against Herbert, and the defense played its most well-rounded game of the season.
The pass defense has been trending upward for a while, albeit against some bad opponents, so their success wasn’t much of a surprise. I was more caught off guard by the sturdy run defense, which had struggled for the first half of the season. Everyone seemed to step up their play, but the returns of Milton Williams and Robert Spillane were key. Williams has contributed to multiple impact plays since returning in the...
