The Patriots took a crucial step towards their long-awaited Super Bowl run, defeating the Texans 28-16 in their divisional-round playoff game. But who stood out and struggled in this gritty win?
On the plus side, cornerback Marcus Jones was the lone bright spot on offense, intercepting quarterback C.J. Stroud's wobbly throw for a pick-six touchdown that helped build a 21-10 halftime lead. However, despite this crucial turnover, the Patriots still struggled to capitalize on scoring opportunities. In fact, their inability to convert turnovers into points proved costly at times.
On defense, Chaisson popped Stroud with a play where the quarterback wound up throwing the ball off-balance and Jones fielded it like a pop fly before running it back for a touchdown. This big hit helped fuel Jones' impressive performance on defense, which included picking up 53 yards on four punt returns.
The Patriots also received contributions from safety Craig Woodson, who snagged an interception and fell on a fumble, demonstrating his versatility in the secondary. Rookie safety Woodson was all over the field, breaking up three passes and contributing five tackles before being cleared to return to the game after taking a hard hit to the head.
On the other hand, quarterback Drake Maye had a disappointing performance, throwing four interceptions and fumbling the ball twice. His touchdown pass to Kayshon Boutte in the fourth quarter broke the game open for the Patriots, but it wasn't enough to make up for his struggles on offense.
The interior offensive line struggled against the Texans' edge-rushers, Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter, who produced all five of Houston's sacks. The line was also pushed back by the Texans' pass rush throughout the game.
Despite these issues, the Patriots are moving on to play the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship game, where they will look to continue their playoff run and secure a spot in the Super Bowl.
On the plus side, cornerback Marcus Jones was the lone bright spot on offense, intercepting quarterback C.J. Stroud's wobbly throw for a pick-six touchdown that helped build a 21-10 halftime lead. However, despite this crucial turnover, the Patriots still struggled to capitalize on scoring opportunities. In fact, their inability to convert turnovers into points proved costly at times.
On defense, Chaisson popped Stroud with a play where the quarterback wound up throwing the ball off-balance and Jones fielded it like a pop fly before running it back for a touchdown. This big hit helped fuel Jones' impressive performance on defense, which included picking up 53 yards on four punt returns.
The Patriots also received contributions from safety Craig Woodson, who snagged an interception and fell on a fumble, demonstrating his versatility in the secondary. Rookie safety Woodson was all over the field, breaking up three passes and contributing five tackles before being cleared to return to the game after taking a hard hit to the head.
On the other hand, quarterback Drake Maye had a disappointing performance, throwing four interceptions and fumbling the ball twice. His touchdown pass to Kayshon Boutte in the fourth quarter broke the game open for the Patriots, but it wasn't enough to make up for his struggles on offense.
The interior offensive line struggled against the Texans' edge-rushers, Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter, who produced all five of Houston's sacks. The line was also pushed back by the Texans' pass rush throughout the game.
Despite these issues, the Patriots are moving on to play the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship game, where they will look to continue their playoff run and secure a spot in the Super Bowl.
I'm thinkin' that Marcus Jones was defo the real MVP of this game 
! He's always been quick and agile on the field, but his interception return for a touchdown was pure magic 
. The dude just saw the ball come out of Stroud's hand like it was a birthday cake 
and took off with it! On the other hand, I'm a bit surprised that Drake Maye had such a rough game 
. You'd think he'd be able to bounce back from those four picks, but I guess not this time 
. Anyways, Patriots are lookin' good for the Super Bowl 
!
, and Craig Woodson is a total beast in the secondary 
... I mean, what a total bust that Drake Maye was out there 
, four interceptions and fumbling like a rookie. That interior line can't protect him for beans 
, they got absolutely wrecked by those edge rushers. And don't even get me started on the offense, all they could do was settle for field goals 
... I'm just waiting for them to choke in the championship game 
The Patriots were literally unstoppable on offense, but Maye just threw it all away with those 4 picks...like what even is going on? 
At least Jones made some game-saving plays, I guess that's something 
, now let's hope the rest of the team can capitalize on those plays 
.
And Congrats to Craig Woodson on his interception and fumble recovery 
, rookie of the year vibes are real! 
, let's keep going Patriots all the way 
. But on the bright side, Marcus Jones was on FIRE 
. Let's hope they can clean up their act for the Broncos game and bring home that W 
I know it would've been tough for him to capitalize on those scoring opportunities, but still, it shows he's got the skills! 
What was going through Drake Maye's head though, throwing four interceptions? 
Did they even have any practice with their offense before this game? 
Also, the interior line needs to step it up if they wanna make it to the Super Bowl! 
They're still moving on to face the Broncos but it's gonna be tough 
how can someone be all over the field like that? 
So the Pats finally got that divisional-round win under their belt, but boy, was it an ugly one! 
. But Drake Maye's performance? 
four interceptions and fumbling the ball twice? Not exactly what you want to see from your QB in a playoff game.
Those Texans' edge-rushers absolutely tore them up! Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter were like a pair of heat-seeking missiles 
. Bring it on!