Patriots advance to AFC title game with stout defensive effort vs Texans

The New England Patriots are back.

The Pats appeared in 13 AFC Championship Games from 2001 to 2018, including each of the last eight seasons of that span.

After six seasons without them, New England returned to its homey atmosphere.

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Thanks to five turnovers he forced against the Houston Texans, the Pats took home a 28-16 victory in Sunday’s divisional round.

The Patriots were aggressive early, going fourth-and-1 from the Houston 28 in wintry conditions, and it paid off with a 28-yard touchdown pass to Demario Douglas. The Texans had to settle for a field goal after a rushing touchdown by Woody Marks was called back for an illegal substitution.

Houston took a 10-7 lead early in the second quarter on a field goal from Christian Kirk, and the Texans went to work after forcing the Patriots to punt. But the momentum was short-lived after CJ Stroud threw a pick-six, his second of four interceptions in the first half, to give New England the lead. Following a Houston punt, Drake Maye found Stefon Diggs to make it 21-10 with 3:12 left in the game.

Stefon Diggs of the New England Patriots celebrates with his teammates after scoring a goal against the Houston Texans in the second quarter of an AFC divisional playoff game at Gillette Stadium on January 18, 2026 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Winslow Townson/Getty Images)

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Houston scored twice in the third quarter to make it a five-point game, while the Patriots’ offense stalled. But in the fourth quarter, Maye hit Kayshon Boutte’s deep ball and the receiver made an incredible move in the end zone for a 28-16 lead with 12:58 left.

Stroud struggled with the jumper, completing just 42.6% of his passes (20-for-47) for 212 yards.

After an MVP-caliber season, Maye’s numbers weren’t exactly spectacular, recording just 179 yards on 16-of-27 passing and three turnovers, but he’s filling Tom Brady’s shoes quite well with the help of his defense.

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) kicks a field goal against the Houston Texans in the third quarter of an AFC Divisional Round game at Gillette Stadium. (David Butler II/Imagn Images)

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Next week, the Pats face the Denver Broncos for a trip to the Super Bowl, a rematch of the AFC Championship between Brady and Peyton Manning 10 years ago.

That season, quarterbacks were in the league for a total of 33 seasons; This season is the second season for both Maye and Bo Nix. However, Jarrett Stidham will likely play in Denver after Nix was injured late Saturday.

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