Patriots force five turnovers, Drake Maye tosses three TDs as New England punches ticket to AFC Championship

It's not Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, but the New England Patriots are back in the AFC Championship with, fittingly, a big day from their quarterback and a dominant defense leading the way in the elements. Drake Maye threw for three touchdowns, and the New England defense forced five turnovers -- including four first-half C.J. Stroud interceptions -- in a 28-16 divisional round win at Gillette Stadium.

The Patriots will face the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship game; Denver will start backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham after Bo Nix suffered a season-ending broken bone in his ankle late in Saturday's win over the Buffalo Bills.

Maye's outstanding touchdown pass to Kayshon Boutte -- who beat All-Pro cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. and  caught the ball with one hand -- proved to be the dagger, though the Texans had plenty of mistakes that put them in such a dire situation in the first place.

Maye finished 16-for-27 for 179 yards, three touchdown passes, three turnovers and five sacks. Crucially, he lost just two of his four fumbles, with the Texans' pass rush wreaking havoc but unable to totally take advantage on a pair of loose balls.

The Texans led 10-7 early in the second quarter when Stroud threw his second interception of the day. It was an awful decision to even try to make the throw and an even worse result: Marcus Jones brought back the pop-up pass 26 yards for a touchdown.

Maye delivered another touchdown pass before halftime -- this one a 7-yard strike to Stefon Diggs -- to make it 21-10 at the break. Stroud, meanwhile, became just the second player in the last 35 years to have four interceptions in a single playoff half.

The Texans drew to within 21-13 early in the second half and got to 21-16 late in the third quarter, but that was as close as they got: Maye answered Ka'imi Fairbairn's 51-yard field goal with the touchdown to Boutte above, and a woeful, undermanned Houston offense (no Nico Collins, and Dalton Schultz left with a calf injury early) had no hopes for a comeback, especially as the snow intensified.

Stroud finished 20-for-47 for 212 yards, one touchdown and four interceptions. He had a 28.0 passer rating, the worst by a  starting quarterback in a playoff game since Brian Hoyer, also playing for the Texans, over 10 years ago.

Patriots' remade defense comes alive

The Patriots only outgained the Texans 248-241, but the Patriots made more game-changing plays via turnover. Much of that was Stroud's awfulness, which we'll hit on in a minute, but give a lot of credit to the Patriots and their overhauled defense. The Patriots spent the most money in free agency last offseason, and those purchases paid major dividends.

Carlton Davis, whom New England signed in free agency to pair with Christian Gonzalez at cornerback, had two tremendous interceptions and added four passes defended. He's the only player to register that stat line in a game this season.

The Patriots also had three sacks, two of which came from offseason additions. Khyiris Tonga, playing for the first time in nearly a month, had one sack, and K'Lavon Chaisson also had one and was disruptive all game long, racking up six pressures. One of those pressures came on Jones' pick six. Chaisson, a former first-round pick, has come into his own now on his third team.

The defensive line, led by prized offseason add Milton Williams, was outstanding all game; Houston finished with just 48 yards on 22 carries. Rookie Craig Woodson (who also had an interception) recovered Woody Marks' red zone fumble at a crucial juncture in the second half. The Patriots' rush defense was terrific in the first half of the season and the league's worst in the second half of the season. Now, fully healthy, it looks to be back on track.

Money can't buy happiness, but money well spent can buy a really good football team, and the Patriots seem quite happy.

Maye makes enough plays, but ball security, protection are issues

Maye joined Joe Burrow (2021) as the only players to take 10 or more sacks across the wild card and divisional games and win both. Of course, this was no ordinary defense he had to face today -- Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter are the league's most fearsome pass-rushing duo -- but the offensive line really struggled. Things won't get much easier next week against and the Broncos, who led the NFL in sacks this year. Nik Bonitto, Zach Allen and Jonathon Cooper in particular will be big challenges. Left tackle Will Campbell has struggled in both playoff games, and he'll be under fire again.

Maye was lucky to not have more than the three turnovers he did (though counting the Hail Mary interception against him isn't really fair). He'll have to be more careful with the ball when he's in the pocket, and perhaps the Patriots will try to get him on the move more next week.

Still, it's hard not to be impressed by the plays Maye did make. Obviously the touchdown to Boutte is the most memorable one, but he also made perfect throws against tight coverage on his other two touchdowns.

C.J. Stroud delivers historic playoff disaster

Stroud became the first player in NFL history to have five interceptions and five fumbles in a single postseason, and he only needed two games to do it. Some of those turnovers were downright bizarre, and several were just awful decisions, awful throws or a combination of the two.

Stroud faced adverse conditions. Collins was out with a concussion, and Schultz leaving early made it even worse. The weather was not good, and Stroud was the victim of several drops, including one that resulted in an interception.

But he was nowhere near good enough to win a playoff game. He wasn't last week, either, but the defense saved him amid some brutal struggles.

The Texans need to improve their run game, and that means improving their offensive line -- a weakness that showed up in both pass protection and run blocking. Their red-zone struggles showed up in a major way (four red zone trips, one touchdown). But most of all, they need Stroud to improve.

An homage to the Texans' defense

Don't let the Patriots' 28 points fool you: The Texans' defense dominated this game. The Patriots had 13 first downs, went 3 for 14 on third down and averaged 3.9 yards per play. Their offense didn't score a single point off turnovers. Across one four-drive stretch in the second half, they totaled 9 yards and zero first downs, with two of the drives ending in turnovers.

Anderson Jr. (three sacks, two forced fumbles) was unstoppable. He might be the best player in the NFL. Hunter had two sacks. The Texans are so aggressive that they'll give up a play here or there -- the Boutte touchdown is the best example -- but you'll live with that if you get the type of down-to-down dominance this unit can deliver.

Anderson should become the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history this offseason. Hunter is under contract. There are some supporting cast free agents that Houston may lose. But this defense isn't going anywhere.