Before the New England Patriots squared off against the Texans in the AFC’s divisional round in Foxborough on Sunday, there was much discussion of the overwhelming nature of the Houston defense, which had led the way to 10 straight wins and had chewed up the Steelers in the divisional round. But Kayshon Boutte was not buying it.
Sure, the Texans were stacked with pass-rushers who helped force quarterbacks into quick decisions against two of the best cornerbacks in the NFL–Derek Stingley Jr. and Kamari Lassiter. Both are big, both are physical and both are capable of shutting down foes.
Boutte was not buying it.
When asked about the Houston corners this week, he said, “I think they’re just physical cornerbacks but at the end of the day, I am physical, too. I mean, that’s a matchup I like every day of the week. So, just ready for Sunday.”
Patriots’ Kayshon Boutte Catch Was a Highlight
And, yeah, he was ready for Sunday. Boutte had the highlight play of the game, and maybe of the playoffs to date, with a critical touchdown catch on a pass from Drake Maye. On a third-and-4 from the Texans 32-yard line in the early stages of the fourth quarter, Boutte went down the right sideline against Stingley as Maye lofted a pass into the wet, snowy New England evening.
It was just out of reach for Boutte. Except he dove, reached out his right hand and pulled the ball in for a one-handed touchdown catch. The catch survived the ground, Boutte survived an instant replay review, and the Patriots took a commanding 28-16 lead.
Kayshon Boutte ‘Keeps on Making Them’
Quarterback Drake Maye said the play reminded him of his first Patriots touchdown completion to Boutte. That one was a sign of things to come, as Boutte and Maye have developed a knack for big plays over this season.
This one was a big more significant, though.
“He keeps on making them. He keeps on making plays and making me look good,” Maye said. “I’m proud of him, being able to give him some—throwing to him, being able to make a play on it. One-handed catch, there’s not much else to say about it. It was pretty sweet. It’s kind of the same kind of throw as my first one to him. He made an even better catch this time.
“Props to Kayshon, keep on playing the way he did for us tonight. He just keeps on doing good things, did a good job in the running game. I think I could have the chance to go downfield and make some better throws. But can’t be too hard on myself, move on to the next one.”
GettyDrake Maye smiles on the Patriots sideline.
Patriots Will Face Denver in AFC Champsionhip
And the next one for the Patriots will be in Denver, for the AFC Championship game. Denver will be without star quarterback Bo Nix, but with a defense rated No. 6 in the NFL by Pro Football Focus, they are not to be taken lightly.
The Patriots will have much to clean up, after four fumbles and an interception by Maye. But the offense had a knack for putting adversity aside in the final period.
“Ups and downs of the game,” Maye said. “Our mentality as an offense is to go down and score. There’s no mentality. When it is a two-possession game late in the fourth quarter, that becomes a different deal—and I’m proud of the offensive line for being able to run it when they know we’re going to run, that second-to-last drive. … It’s hard to run it in this league when they know you’re gonna run it.”
Patriots’ Kayshon Boutte Backs Up Trash Talk With Eye-Popping Catch