FOXBORO, Mass. — The New England Patriots will be put to the test Sunday against a menacing Houston Texans defense.
The unit is easily the best of the remaining eight teams across the league. On Monday night against the Steelers, they had their way with veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers. In what could be the final game of his Hall of Fame career, Rodgers was sacked four times, fumbling twice. One was picked up and ran back for a touchdown. In total, Houston’s defense hit Rodgers 12 times. He also threw an interception that was taken to the house. 14 of Houston’s 30 points came from their defense.
The big boys up front are the unit’s focal point. Edge rushers Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr. combined for 27 sacks in the regular season – the most of any duo in the NFL. Hunter finished third with 15 of his own, good for the third most in the league.
Defensive tackles Tommy Togiai and former Saints first-round pick Sheldon Rankins hold things down in the middle. 305-pound Rankins ran one of Rodger’s fumbles 33 yards for a touchdown.
Linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, a first-time Pro-Bowler this season, led the team in tackles with 103.
The defense has been their calling card all season. The unit gave up 295 points in the regular season – the least in the AFC. They allowed just 17.4 points-per-game. They also gave up the least yardage in the NFL.
As for the Patriots, even though their offense has been the backbone of their identity, their defense, statistically speaking, is actually not that far away from Houston’s. New England gave up 320 points in the regular season – third best in the AFC – and just 25 more than Houston.
There are some differences, though. The Texans sacked the quarterback 47 times in the regular season, putting them in the top 10. The Patriots tallied 34 sacks, placing them in the bottom 10. The Texans forced 29 turnovers, the Patriots forced 19.
On the other side of the ball, the Texans’ offense has been average. They finished towards the middle of the pack in points and yards. They finished just outside the bottom 10 in rushing yards, while the Patriots were just outside the top five. Third-year quarterback CJ Stroud missed almost all of November with a concussion, but the team hasn’t lost since his return in week 13. In three seasons in the NFL, Stroud has tossed 62 touchdowns to 25 interceptions with a record of 28-18. He’s 3-2 in the playoffs entering Sunday in Foxboro.
In the backfield, Houston deploys rookie Woody Marks and veteran Nick Chubb. On Monday night, Marks went over 100 rushing yards for the first time in his career after averaging just shy of 44 yards on the ground during the regular season. 30-year-old Chubb hasn’t done much, finishing the season with 506 rushing yards and three touchdowns. At one point, a top-five back with the Browns, a devastating knee injury in 2023 has hampered what’s left of his career.
Top receiving target Nico Collins likely will not play on Sunday, a gift for the Patriots. A third-round pick in 2021, Collins has gone over 1,000 yards the past three seasons. Tight end Dalton Shultz caught 82 passes this season, the most on the team. Veteran wide receiver Christian Kirk had a quiet year, catching just 28 passes for 239 yards. But on Monday night, Kirk reeled in eight balls for 144 yards and a touchdown. They’ll need that again on Sunday with Collins likely out.
Second-year quarterback Drake Maye leads the Patriots offense. Maye blew past pre-season expectations, finishing with the most passing yards (4,394) in the AFC, the most passing touchdowns (31), and the highest completion percentage in all of the NFL (72%). His legs are just as dangerous, finishing with 450 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns. The offense finished second in the NFL in points, first in the AFC. They finished third in yards, again first in the AFC.
Veteran receiver Stefon Diggs has been Maye’s top target this season. Coming off a torn ACL last year while a member of the Texans, Diggs is just the fourth wide receiver ever to go over 1,000 yards after such an injury. He was quiet last weekend in their win over the Chargers, catching just two passes for 16 yards.
The Patriots’ backfield has been far more explosive than the Texans’. Running backs Rhamondre Stevenson and rookie TreVeyon Henderson combined for 2,080 all-purpose yards in the regular season. After early-season struggles, Henderson took most of the load from Stevenson. Henderson finished just 89 yards short of 1,000 rushing yards after only starting four games. Stevenson has re-emerged in recent weeks, though. In last weekend’s win, Stevenson ran for 53 yards and had 75 receiving yards. He had six touchdowns over the course of the final three regular-season games.
Both the Patriots and Texans ripped off sizable winning streaks during the regular season. The Patriots won ten consecutive games from week 4 through 13. The Texans’regular-season streak is still going – counting Monday’s playoff win over the Steelers, they’ve also won 10 in a row.
Sunday’s matchup will be the third time these two teams face off in the playoffs. The Patriots hold a 2-0 edge, beating Houston in the Divisional round in January 2013, and again in 2017. The winner moves on to the AFC Championship against either the Broncos or the Bills the following weekend. Texans’
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