Patriots signing player Texans just waived before playoff matchup

The New England Patriots are gearing up for a gritty game. The Pats are going up against a Houston Texans team that’s been dominant on the defensive end of the ball. With a gritty defensive game in the cards, New England is bolstering their defense with a familiar face for the Texans.

“The #Patriots are bringing in some pass-rush help, signing former #Texans DE Darrell Taylor to their practice squad with the strong possibility of elevating him for the playoffs,”Ian Rapoport reported on X. “Taylor was waived by Houston this week.”

The Patriots’ pass rush has been their weakest point this season. Ranking near the bottom of the league in pressure rate and sacks in the regular season, New England struggled to affect the quarterback. Their defense didn’t suffer too much from the lack of a pass rush, ranking eighth in yards allowed per game at 295.23.

Against the Los Angeles Chargers, though, the Patriots’ defensive line finally had a great game. Part of it is due to the Chargers’ deficient offensive line, yes, but the Pats’ pass-rushers capitalized on LA’s battered line. They recorded six sacks and pressured quarterback Justin Herbert on 29.5% of his dropbacks. That led to the Chargers scoring just three points against New England’s defense.

The Patriots will need more of the same pressure against the Texans. Despite losing a key member of the offensive line in Laremy Tunsil this offseason, Houston’s offensive line has done a solid job protecting their quarterbacks. The Texans’ O-line allowed pressure on 21.8% of CJ Stroud’s dropbacks this season. That’s not a stellar number, but it’s just above league-average, miles above the expectations for this line this season.

New England’s first playoff game in the Drake Maye era went as well as you could’ve hoped for a young team. Drake Maye had his struggles early on, but the quarterback did just enough to score 16 points for his team. That was more than enough for the defense to hold the line. New England is hoping for a little bit more from Maye against arguably the best defense in football this season.

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