Pats Pulpit
The Houston Texans have a “pick your poison”-type of defense. The unit led by first-team All-Pros Will Anderson Jr. and Derek Stingley Jr. is good in the front and in the backend, stout against the run and devastating against the pass.
It is as complete a defense as any in football right now, and the toughest New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye has faced in his young career. So, how do Maye and company go about finding success against it? For the 23-year-old, it all starts by staying on track.
“I think for us, offensively, just try to stay ahead of the chains,” Maye said on Wednesday. “Scheme-wise, just do things that we’re good at and try to find a way every week to scheme something up if we see it, but at the same time, just try to stay ahead of the chains and know what type of game it is.”
For the Patriots, staying ahead of the chains starts with not going backwards be it through penalties or negative plays. That is easier said than done against a defense ranked fifth in tackles for loss (91) and seventh in sacks (47) during the regular season.
However, they know that any opportunity provided to stalwart edge rushers Anderson and Danielle Hunter could be one too many. Then again, Houston has proven its disruptive abilities regardless of situation.
“They fly around, they’re relentless. They’re great up front, they’re great in the back end, they’ve got great linebackers. They’re great all around. They have great coaching,” said Maye.
“We’ve got our hands full, and we know it’s going to be a tough game. We’ve got to play the game the right way, and we’ve got great players all around. All the hype is fulfilling and deserving from what I’ve seen on film. So, we’ve got to be able to stay ahead of the chains, and I know we’ve got a tough task, but we’re going to have our hands full. Play complimentary football, and from there, just try to find ways to pick up first downs and score some points.”
