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4 things Patriots must do to beat Texans in divisional round
Utilizing Drake Maye's legs could alleviate some of the pressure that the Texans generate.
Drake Maye and the Patriots are set to face their toughest test of the season on Sunday afternoon at Gillette Stadium.
Standing in front of New England’s first trip to the AFC title game since January 2019 is an elite Texans defense that has made life miserable for several elite QBs this season.
“They’re violent. They’re very physical,” Josh McDaniels said Thursday. “This is probably the fastest group we’ve seen all year at all three levels. They run really, really well. The holes that you may have, they won’t be there long, whether that’s in a running game or anything you find in the secondary. You know, that’s going to be tight.”
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Houston ranks in the top-three this season as far as yards allowed per game (277, 1st), points allowed per game (17.4, 2nd), and total takeaways (29, 3rd).
But New England — fresh off a dominant defensive performance against Los Angeles and bolstered by an explosive offense anchored by Drake Maye — also believes it can land some punches against Houston.
“Obviously [Houston has] a good unit. No. 1 ranked defense, whatever you want to say. But I mean, we’re a good offense too,” Kayshon Boutte said Thursday. “We’re not going to discredit ourselves. Just keep doing the same things we’ve been doing, honestly.”
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Here are four things that New England must do to get the better of the Texans on Sunday:
Find ways to slow down Houston’s potent pass rush
This is a task easier said than done.
McDaniels and New England’s offense can dial up plenty of plays to try and alleviate some of the pressure around Maye. But even if rookies like Will Campbell and Jared Wilson bounce back from so-so performances last week against Los Angeles, the writing is on that wall that the Texans are going dole out some punishment against Maye.
Houston’s two heat-seeking missiles in Will Anderson (12 sacks) and Danielle Hunter (15 sacks) have been game-wreckers all season, with DeMeco Ryans and his staff not throwing out a lot of blitzes or disguise coverages to throw off opposing QBs.
The Texans keep it simple on defense. They’re elite at every level, swarm to the football, and welcome the challenge of teams trying to solve them.
For the Patriots, the first step when it comes to trying to get the better of Houston revolves around giving Maye the extra half-second he might need to get the ball out before Hunter and Anderson collapse the pocket.
It’s rather evident that both Campbell and right tackle Morgan Moses will need to be at their best in order to try and slow down Hunter and Anderson. But that may not be enough.
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McDaniels and Co. would be well-advised to roll out added protection — be it a running back or tight end — on one side of the line to try and hinder Anderson or Hunter.
New England could also opt to use play-action passes to buy Maye a bit more time, while moving the pocket by way of roll-outs or some boot-action play can keep Maye moving and give him some more space to operate.
It’s all but a given that a few of New England’s drives on Sunday will fizzle out when Hunter and Anderson put Maye under duress and bring him to the turf.
But if New England can scheme up an offensive gameplan to give their QB some more time, Maye could do some damage.
As explosive and aggressive as Houston’s defense might be, they’ve been susceptible to explosive plays this season — giving up 47 passes of 20-plus yards on the season.
Maye has been the best QB in the league this season in terms of utilizing an efficient deep ball. The personnel in front just has to give him some time.
Put C.J. Stroud under duress
Sunday’s game is destined to be a rock fight, given the tough sledding that awaits Maye and the Patriots’ offense against this elite Texans defense.
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But New England could further shift the game in their favor by stalling C.J. Stroud and Houston’s offense.
Fresh off a wild-card playoff game where New England sacked Justin Herbert eight times, the Patriots have to be licking their chops at the sight of a pretty poor Houston offensive line.
Entering the playoffs, Houston’s offensive line ranks 30th in pass block win rate (55.4 percent) and 32nd in run block win rate (68.3 percent), which has contributed to the Texans’ relatively pedestrian showing on offense this season (13th in NFL with 23.8 points per game).
Granted, that poor blocking hasn’t led to Stroud getting sacked all that much, as 22 other QBs were sacked more than him this season.
But that lackluster play at the line of scrimmage has contributed to a Texans offense ranked 30th in red-zone conversion rate (46.3) percent), while oftentimes putting Stroud under pressure in the pocket.
While Stroud has largely limited turnovers this season, he was dreadful on Monday night against the Steelers — fumbling the ball five times (losing two) while also throwing his first red-zone interception since 2023.
The third-year QB can be befuddled when dialing up the pressure against him. According to Pro Football Focus, Stroud ranked 27 out of 33 qualifying quarterbacks with a 5.7 turnover-worthy play percentage and a rating of 60.9 when under pressure in 2025.
New England probably won’t replicate the eight-sack showing from last week. But if players like Milton Williams, K’Lavon Chaisson, and others can get some heat on Stroud, they could force the QB — likely operating without top wideout Nico Collins — into some ill-advised throws.
Get Drake Maye moving
Beyond Houston’s knack for coughing up explosive plays, the Texans have also been mortal this season when it comes to accounting for mobile QBs.
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According to Phil Perry of NBC Sports Boston, the Texans have allowed the fourth-highest EPA per carry on quarterback runs — not counting QB sneaks or kneels — and the ninth-most yards per attempt (7.8) since Week 13 of the regular season.
With Houston rarely dialing up blitzes (21 percent in regular season, 28th in NFL), there should be even more lanes for Maye to gain yardage.
New England has been hesitant at times to draw up designed runs for Maye. But getting the second-year QB to use his legs — be it on those set plays or just with his scrambling ability after the pocket collapses — could be a reliable avenue for the Patriots to move the chains in what could otherwise be an offensive slog of a game.
“Whatever it takes for us to win the game,” Stefon Diggs said Thursday how New England’s offense can get the better of Houston. “I don’t care how it comes out. We’re in the [playoffs]. I’m going to throw as many blocks as I can. I’m going to tell [Maye] that his next play is his best play.
“He’s a hell of a player. I just want to see him continue to grow. I’m just trying to be an echo of some positive energy. If using his legs is what’s needed, then turn into Michael Vick. I’m with whatever.”
Avoid third-and-long situations
One of the key conduits in New England’s efficient and explosive offense has been Maye’s ability to move the chains on third-and-long situations.
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Be it using his legs to scramble or threading the ball over to Diggs or Hunter Henry on crossing routes, Maye has overcome multiple instances where New England was seemingly destined to stall out on offense.
During the regular season, Maye completed 63 percent of his passes and sported a 97.0 passer rating on third-down plays.
But against Houston’s defense, Maye and the Patriots are asking for trouble if they are continually facing third-and-long situations.
Opponents averaged 7.3 yards to go on third down against Houston this season, — tied for the seventh-longest in the NFL — with teams converting on third down just 34.8 percent of time against the Texans (5th in the NFL).
As elite as Maye has been this year at extending drives, facing multiple 3rd-and-7 or 3rd-and-8 scenarios is going to eventually bite New England — opening the door for Houston to either force Maye into ill-advised throws or generage fumbles if the QB is tasked with staying in the pocket in search of a passing target.
One way to limit those third-and-long situations is a balanced approach on offense, especially if New England can run the ball effectively with Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Hederson.
Even if Stevenson and Henderson don’t break through for some explosive runs, gaining some regular yardage could consistently put Maye and Co. into more manageable 3rd-and-3 or 3rd-and-4 situations on Sunday.
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