New England Patriots beat Houston Texans 28-16 to advance to the 2026 AFC Championship Game

FOXBORO, Massachusetts - After overcoming the Steelers in the Wild Card round, the Houston Texans and quarterback C.J. Stroud are leaning on playoff momentum as they try to silence the New England Patriots and make franchise history.

A strategic defensive match-up for head coach DeMeco Ryans’ Texans looked to keep their 10-game winning streak going. Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel looked to engineer a postseason breakthrough in his second season with the team, as New England seeks their first AFC Championship appearance since January 2019.

A chaotic start in New England

What we know:

Both defenses stood strong on the opening two drives, leading to quick three and outs for both offenses. This was a sneak peek into the six turnovers that occurred in the first half, as Texans quarterback CJ Stroud threw four interceptions to finish the first half.

Houston’s offense only had one drive in the first half of more than six plays, while the defensive stars for the Texans, Will Anderson Jr and Danielle Hunter, got to Patriots quarterback, Drake Maye, three times in the first half. 

A fumble recovery at the end of the first quarter helped position the Texans' offense in New England territory. The turnover helped lead the Texans to their only touchdown of the half, a 10-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Christian Kirk at the start of the second quarter. 

The Patriots secondary immediately disrupted any rhythm for Stroud and the offense as the following drive opened with an interception returned 26-yards for a touchdown by Patriots cornerback, and University of Houston alum, Marcus Jones.

The four remaining drives in the first half resulted in interceptions and two quick three-and-outs for the Houston Texans, ending the half with no momentum while down 21-10. 

Heading into halftime, Texan fans were even weighing the possibility of bringing in backup quarterback Davis Mills, as he helped lead the team to a 3-0 record in the regular season this year while Stroud was out with an injury.

Defensive grit and missed opportunities

Dig deeper:

Stroud immediately showed poise entering the second half, showing poise and connecting with his longest completion of the day, a 23-yard completion to wide receiver Xavier Hutchinson, putting the Texans in Patriots’ territory. The offense pounded the ball into the redzone and were able to end the drive with a 25-yard field goal by kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn, his second of the night. Thus, making it a one-score Patriots lead at 21-13.

The Texans' ferocious pass attack kept the momentum going into the second half as star pass rusher Will Anderson Jr caused a sack resulting in a fumble recovery by linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair on just the third play to start the half for the Patriots. 

Despite reaching New England's redone, 4th round rookie running back, Woody Mark, fumbled the ball, leading to a Patriots' recovery on their own 12-yard line.

Once again, the Texans' defense gave the Patriots no room to breathe as the immediate three-and-out following the fumble recovery, as the unit forced their fifth three-play drive on the night thus far. 

Stroud and the offense received a defensive pass interference penalty to get them into field goal range, resulting in Fairbairn's third made field goal of the night and keeping the game close as the Patriots led 21-16 heading into the fourth quarter.

Maye seals the game as the Patriots' Advance

Coming off their only scoreless quarter of the game, the Patriots responded with their longest drive of the game, a 71-yard drive lasting six plays and ending in a 32-yard touchdown pass from Drake Maye to wide receiver Kayshon Boutte, extending the New England lead to 28-16. 

Both teams traded possessions in the final quarter but never were able to get within range to put more points on the board. The Patriots maintained their two possession lead this quarter as Stroud and the Texans offense never really cultivated offensive momentum as the game neared toward the final minutes.

In what seemed like the Texans' last attempt to put points on the board, around midfield, Stroud launched a deep pass downfield on 4th and 3 with just over a minute left in the game, resulting in a pass breakup and giving the Patriots the ball left as time winded down. 

What's next:

The New England Patriots defeated the Houston Texans, 28-16, to advance to the AFC Championship game to face off against the Denver Broncos in Denver.

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