Pats Pulpit
There was no path back to Gillette Stadium for the New England Patriots. But there was a path back to the AFC Championship Game.
Head coach Mike Vrabel’s side cleared it with a 28-16 win over the Houston Texans on Sunday, earning the right to visit the Denver Broncos.
Here’s a glance back on the divisional round before sights set on the No. 1 seed that awaits at Mile High.
January 2019 marked the last time New England had punched a ticket to the AFC title game. To do so again, Drake Maye needed to keep playing beyond his 23 years.
The Patriots quarterback completed 16-of-27 passes for 179 yards with three touchdowns on Sunday. He fumbled four times, losing a pair, and was intercepted on a Hail Mary.
Taking the field in “21” personnel, the afternoon’s drizzly opening drive spanned three plays before ending in a punt. Going for it on fourth-and-1 next time out, a 28-yard touchdown to slot receiver DeMario Douglas arrived on a slant route. The journey to a 7-0 lead did not see a ball hit the turf. Yet that changed in strip-sacking fashion on the following series as Bryce Baringer stepped on with the uprights at his back.
The next fumble wouldn’t end up in friendly hands. Defensive tackle Tommy Togiai punched it loose as Maye scrambled up the middle late in the first quarter. Back-to-back punts followed for the Patriots as intermission neared. Yet so did a five-play, 56-yard TD drive that was capped off with a dart to a former Texans captain. The score read 21-10 at the break on the heels of a pick with no time left to tick.
Maye was stripped again in the third quarter. Pro Bowl linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair was there to recover it again, too. But as heavier snow hit in the fourth quarter, so did a pinpoint go ball down the right sideline to make it a 28-16 game. That would be enough.
“Ending every drive with some form of a kick would be ideal for us this week,” offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels told reporters leading up to the divisional round.
New England finished the slugfest 3-for-14 on third down, 1-for-2 on fourth down and 1-for-1 in the red zone.
Rhamondre Stevenson had amassed six touchdowns and north of 600 yards from scrimmage since the calendar turned to December. That train took time to get rolling against a Houston defense standing second around the league in rushing yards allowed per game and third in EPA per carry.
Heat-seeking nickelback Jalen Pitre made his presence felt behind the line. Yet after missing snaps because of an eye injury, New England’s starting running back returned to turn 16 carries into a hard-earned 70 yards. A long of 20 was logged by Sunday’s end.
The ground would be leaned on in the fourth quarter. Rookie rusher TreVeyon Henderson spelled in for...
