FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) \u2014 One interception after another, C.J. Stroud dug Houston into a deeper hole.<\/p>\n
And this time the Texans’ defense couldn\u2019t save them.<\/p>\n
A week after Stroud committed three turnovers in a wild-card victory over the Steelers, the Houston quarterback threw four interceptions in the first half on Sunday to hand New England a 28-16 victory<\/a> and a spot in the AFC championship game.<\/p>\n \u201cBall security is everything, especially the way our defense has played all year, and it\u2019s something that I\u2019ve done a pretty good job of up to this point,\u201d Stroud said. \u201cI think my whole team trusts me. They believe in me. Today just wasn\u2019t my day, and I\u2019m appreciative of my teammates having my back once again.\u201d<\/p>\n Houston turned the ball over a fifth time when running back Woody Marks \u2014 a hero of the wild-card win \u2014 fumbled on the doorstep of a potential touchdown while trailing 21-13 in the third quarter.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve done a great job all year protecting the football and running the ball well. That\u2019s been our formula,\u201d Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. \u201cTo come here when we needed it most, and we didn\u2019t protect the ball \u2014 it\u2019s tough to think that you\u2019re going to win a game and you turn the ball over five times.\u201d<\/p>\n On a cold afternoon that mixed rain and wet snow, Houston’s top-ranked defense hassled Drake Maye all game, forcing four fumbles (recovering two) and sacking him five times. The MVP contender finished 16 for 27 for 179 yards, but he also threw for three touchdowns.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen the snowflakes stop, I think it\u2019s a little easier to throw the football, got a little better grip,\u201d Maye said. \u201cI think C.J. probably would say the same thing. We both probably had some throws that were tough, it was tough to get a grip on it.\u201d<\/p>\n The Texans only had 12 giveaways during the regular season and had a plus-17 turnover differential that was second-best in the league. Stroud threw one interception and fumbled five times at Pittsburgh last week<\/a>, losing two, but the defense also scored a pair of touchdowns in the 30-6 victory.<\/p>\n \u201cFor us to come out in these past two games and have the amount of turnovers we\u2019ve had, it\u2019s not winning football,\u201d Ryans said. \u201cSo we\u2019ve got to find a way to not have that, clean it up and get it fixed.\u201d<\/p>\n That will be a job for the offseason, with Houston reaching the playoffs for a franchise-record third straight year but losing in the divisional round each time.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve got to play better football when we get in this moment. For the past three years, we have not,\u201d Ryans said. \u201cIt\u2019s not a magical elixir that\u2019s going to happen to get past the divisional round.\u201d<\/p>\n