Patriots vs. Texans on Sunday could be a historic postseason matchup.
The stage is set; the New England Patriots will host the Houston Texans on Sunday afternoon at 3pm EST at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. The Texans put a hurting on Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers Monday night with their defensive dominance in the 30-6 win.
The back half of the season has seen a narrative take shape with the Houston Texans' defense and just how good they are. This AFC Divisional Round matchup could potentially be Drake Maye and the Patriots' biggest challenge yet. On Monday night, the Texans looked like a legendary defense. They held the Steelers to 175 total yards on 3.1 yards per play. Their aggressive defense scored two touchdowns of its own on a strip-sack, with Sheldon Rankins rumbling 33 yards before Calen Bullock recorded a 50-yard pick-six.
This was done against Aaron Rodgers, who, yes, is in the twilight and maybe even at the end of his career, but he still is a four-time NFL MVP and Super Bowl Champion who has gone against the best. Watching this act of dominance, you have to wonder just what Josh McDaniels is putting into play for his second-year quarterback come Sunday afternoon.
There's an argument to be made that even if the Patriots come away with a win and punch their ticket to the AFC Championship game on Sunday, they may not have actually beaten the Texans, but rather they survived the Texans' defensive pass rush.
The numbers are close in terms of what both teams bring to the table on both sides of the ball in a Tale of the Tape scenario, compliments of NBC Sports Boston.
A key component in all of the information provided above is the takeaways the Texans have. 29 takeaways, and allowing only 93.7 rush yards per game. The Texans threaten with elite edge rushers Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter, making protection a major challenge for the Patriots' offensive line. This specific battle against Anderson Jr. and Hunter raises concerns for analysts and fans, given the Patriots’ ongoing struggles to protect Drake Maye.
There is a plus side to all of this. The Patriots' defensive front may not be as good as the Texans', but they are facing CJ Stroud, who completed 21 of 32 passes for 250 yards, a touchdown, an interception, and two fumbles. Stroud's flaws in the Wild Card game were noticed by many watching and were addressed online Monday night and Tuesday morning.
If the Patriots' offense struggles on Sunday, it may have to lean heavily on disrupting Stroud's style of play, keep the game low-scoring, and walk away with a win.
Defense can win championships, but as we've seen over the last half-decade, this is a QB-heavy league, and when you have a team where a quarterback is being carried by the guys on the other side of the ball, the job still may not get done.