The Patriots are moving on to the AFC Championship.
Led by a strong defensive performance, New England defeated Houston 28-16 to reach the club’s first conference championship game since the 2018 season.
New England’s defense picked off Houston quarterback C.J. Stroud four times — all in the first half — and ended up inducing five total turnovers, as running back Woody Marks fumbled early in the third quarter.
Stroud performed so poorly in the first half, it seemed like there should be some question as to whether or not he would be replaced by backup Davis Mills. But Stroud finished the game at QB, completing 20-of-47 passes for 212 yards with one touchdown and his four interceptions.
Part of the issue for Stroud was that the Texans didn’t have any semblance of a run game. Marks had just 17 yards on 14 carries while Nick Chubb ran for 14 on four attempts.
With the five takeaways, the Patriots didn’t have to do as much offensively. But even as Drake Maye was strip-sacked three times, he only lost one fumble on them. He lost another on a run play in the first half.
Maye finished the contest 16-of-27 for 179 yards with three touchdowns and an interception that came on a Hail Mary to end the second quarter.
Kayshon Boutte helped put the game away with his 32-yard, one-handed touchdown catch early in the fourth quarter to put the Patriots up by 12 points with 12:58 left in the contest. He finished the game with three catches for 75 yards.
Rhamondre Stevenson led with 70 yards on 16 carries while TreVeyon Henderson had 25 yards on 12 carries.
The Patriots will be on the road next weekend to play the Broncos for the right to advance to Super Bowl LX. Given Bo Nix’s ankle injury suffered at the end of Saturday’s win, New England is likely to be favored for the game.