TEXANS vs PATRIOTS
PATRIOTS WIN 28 – 16
- Story of the Game – The Patriots Survive a Defensive Masterclass as Houston’s Offense Falls Apart
From the very start of this game New England and Houston came out and made their own strong statements on defense. Houston forcing a quick three and out by flying around the field and allowing no yards after the catch and New England establishing their dominance along the line of scrimmage. But as each team got their second chances it became clear New England’s offense had level of competence that Houston and specifically CJ Stroud lacked in this game. While Maye and his offense had their struggles against a generational Houston defense it was far worse for Stroud and this Houston offense. Stroud seemed to be unwilling to take a sack or throw the ball away which led to him continually putting the ball in harms way which New England capitalized on and honestly should have more considering the amount of times the ball was put in positions to be picked from Stroud. As the second half kicked off Houston came out and had a solid drive but similar to their successful drive in the first half Stroud missed a throw and stalled the drive for a field goal. After their opening stalled it looked like Houston might be starting to fuel a comeback as Will Anderson once again stripped Maye on a throw and got Houston’s offense the ball back inside New England’s 35 yard line. But as Stroud dug them out of a sack on 1st down by finding Higgins once again and running for the 1st Marks fumbled the ball on the following set of downs and cost them a field goal at the very least. But Houston’s defense once again stepped up and got their offense great field position which Houston paid off with another field goal after Stroud was sacked once again. Just as Houston began to chip away and get themselves back in this game Maye found a way to drive New England down the field and answer Houston’s two field goals with a touchdown. With help from Kayshoun Boutte who made an unreal one handed catch through great coverage from Derek Stingley for a TD Maye and the New England offense virtually put the game away as everything began to spiral once again for Houston. They failed to move the ball at all from this point forward and late in the 4th Quarter even punted it on fourth and long despite being down two scores, virtually waving the white flag as they were completely lost on offense. I don’t know where Houston goes from here as they now have a QB that is becoming more and more questionable ever since his rookie success. With a great team surrounding him you’d hope Stroud would have progressed into that top 10 guy that we thought we all saw in that great rookie season but he hasn’t just stalled he’s flat out regressed and has become a huge question moving forward for a team that seems to be ready everywhere else on the roster to compete for a Super Bowl. New England on the other hand looks to well on their way to that oh so elusive Super Bowl but there’s still questions as they’ll have to face yet another formidable defense and team overall in the Denver Broncos in the Championship game.
- Key Notes for the Patriots
The Patriots defensive front as a whole was good this game but Milton Williams especially was absolutely unbelievable. From the jump Williams was winning consistently up front and doing so in dominant fashion in both run and pass. With Williams playing at this level the New England defense looks like a completely different group. They have a number of solid rushers and run defenders but the lack of a number one guy on the edge or interior was very apparent in obvious passing situations but Williams has taken his game to another level in the these first two playoff games. Granted this game he was able to face a Houston OL that has been up and down to say the least this season but the way in which he won was shocking as he got into the backfield multiple times before the play even began.
This group as whole just executes their rushes with discipline and a high level of aggression and effort which allows them to play at an incredibly high level as a group despite not being big names or true threats on their own.
The New England OL and Drake Maye really struggled with the Houston defensive front. Granted nearly every team in the league struggles against this group but Maye really struggled to feel the rush which led to him being stripped sack multiple times in this game and the OL will absolutely have to be better in pass protection against another great pass rush group in Denver. They also had nothing going on the ground whether it was through the interior or to the edge it didn’t matter. This all has to be taken with a grain of salt considering Houston has one of the best defenses we’ve seen in years but if they don’t clean up some of these quick losses in pass protection and inability to create push in the run game Denver will have a similar day as Houston had against this group.
I would also like to see Maye escape the pocket a little more than he did in this game. Houston did a great job of holding their rush lanes and crushing the pocket so the opportunities were limited, especially when you consider who they have running you down on the edge, but there were a few reps I felt he lingered in a failing pocket and tried to make something happen with his arm when there were safer opportunities with his legs. Maye has done a great job all year with this so I chalk it up to the Houston defense doing their job more than I do a flaw to Maye but it’s something I would like to see him improve upon against yet another strong defense in the AFC Championship Game against Denver.
- Key Notes for the Texans
CJ Stroud and the Houston offense had nothing this game. Whether you want to bring up the lack of protection, the poor decision making and accuracy from Stroud, the inability to separate down the field from the Houston receivers, or quite literally any other aspect of this offense not one produced a consistent or reliable outcome at any point in this game. Stroud looked broken early on in this game and his play just spiraled as the game went on. He dropped is eyes nearly every time he hit the back of his drop and when he didn’t he found ways to run himself into pressure and the worst part of it all was the decision making when the play was over. Stroud time after time refused to be sacked which led to him putting the ball up in the air with what seemed to be no real plan. While he had 4 interceptions in the first half you could argue New England should have came away with another two or three as well. While I won’t pin this performance entirely on Stroud as his receivers really struggled to separate downfield despite the Patriots safeties playing in the box and leaving their corners one on one outside and the protection was ugly to watch to say the least he has to be better, especially in his decision making. If you lose the game because your OL can’t protect and your receivers can’t consistently separate so you take 8, 9 , or 10 sacks well frankly that’s on the decision makers up top for not putting a good enough supporting cast around you but when you play into the pressure and compound poor play around you with turnovers and flat out looking clueless at times that’s unacceptable. Your defense played an unreal game and gave you chance after chance to keep the this game close if not win it had you taken care of the ball. I’m a fan of Stroud and I know there’s a good Quarterback in him but if he continues on this trend of drastic downwards spiraling play the last few years and continues to perform at this level Houston can’t commit to him long term. It was an unacceptable performance and Houston absolutely needs to reevaluate where their offense is as a whole going into this offseason.
Defensively the Texans were lights out once again. Forcing four fumbles, one interception, and wreaking havoc at all levels throughout the entirety of the game. Will Anderson Jr and Danielle Hunter were once again phenomenal off the edge and while Kamari Lassiter and Derek Stingley Jr had a couple reps where they gave up plays they got the most part were lockdown on the outside. Andy it’s not just the stars that makes plays on this unit for the Texans, their talent up and down the roster shined in this game as players like Tommy Togiai, Jalen Pitre, Henry To’oTo’o, and well… nearly everyone else made the most of their opportunities. This defense’s ability to cover across board matched with the pass rush they consistently get up front is unbelievable and truly special. It’s sad we won’t get to see this unit continue to play down the stretch of these playoffs due to no fault of their own.
- Standout Performances
NE
Drake Maye – 16/27 179yds 3/1 – 4/10 rush
- Had multiple strip sacks against him but he made enough plays to justify being on this list.
Kayshon Boutte – 3/75 1 TDs
Milton Williams – 2 Tackles (1 Solo)
- Not much in the box score but Williams ability to create quick pressure from the interior of the Houston OL forced multiple turnovers and negative plays.
Marcus Jones – 2 Tackles (1 Solo) 1 INT 2 PBUs
Carlton Davis III – 4 Tackles 1 TFL 2 INTs 4 PBUs
Christian Gonzalez – 9 Tackles (6 Solo) 1 FF 1 PBU
Craig Woodson – 5 Tackles (3 Solo) 1 INT 3 PBUs
- NE’s entire secondary had an incredible day as they came away multiple turnovers and largely smothered the HOU receivers all game long.
HOU
Jayden Higgins – 6/59
- Not a wild day as far as production in the box score goes but Higgins was the one guy that Stroud consistently found when they needed a play. Higgins ability to make contested catches and not have to entirely rely on that to make plays as he’s a solid route runner and a very good athlete should get him more targets going into next season.
The Entire Defense – I could list off everyone that had a good game for this unit but in all honestly it would be easier to highlight who didn’t considering how well this group played at all three levels. Anderson, Hunter, and the rest of the DL flew off the ball and caused havoc up front in both the run and pass along with creating turnovers (4 strip sacks) that kept them in this game despite their offense struggling as much as they did. The secondary while giving up a couple plays largely shut down the NE passing attack and certainly made nothing easy all game.
