The New England Patriots will welcome the Houston Texans to Foxborough this Sunday for the AFC divisional round matchup to decide who will play for a spot in the Super Bowl. It’s a remarkable matchup in that, four months ago, there appeared to be no way that this game was possible, not with Houston at 0-3 and the Pats at 1-2. But, playoffs included, the Patriots have gone 14-1 since then, while the Texans have gone 13-2.
Along the way, both teams have crafted an identity, and while the Patriots’ identity has been built around the play of Drake Maye and the toughness of coach Mike Vrabel, the Texans’ identity has been that of an opportunistic and grinding defense that is No. 2 in the league when it comes to forcing turnovers.
Indeed, the Houston defense will be a huge problem on Sunday. It ranks No. 3 overall in the NFL at Pro Football Focus, which also rates the Texans No. 2 in the pass-rush and No. 4 in coverage.
Patriots’ Kayshon Boutte: ‘Just Being Us’
But just do not tell Patriots receiver Kayshon Boutte that this is a team to be feared.
Said Boutte on Thursday after practice: “We’re gonna do the same things we’ve been doing, honestly. At the end of the day, we want to make them adjust to how we play. They’re not too complicated on defense, not too many looks. We’ll get a good tell of what they’re doing. Just being us.”
Still, the concerns about ball security are very real. Maye threw an interception and fumbled twice in the win over the Chargers last week, and he can’t be that loose with the ball against Houston, especially with sloppy conditions ahead. Though he has improved, there are still concerns about Rhamondre Stevenson’s past fumbling issues.
“I think it’s important for the team, but if we say we are gonna do it, we’ve got to do it,” Boutte said about ball security. “It all starts with protecting the ball. We’ve gotta block for everybody, we’ve gotta free up hits from the ball-carriers, not let them get free hits, just take care of the ball.”
Texans Stars Do Not Scare Kayshon Boutte
Another concern for the Patriots is the cornerback duo of Kamari Lassiter and Derek Stingley Jr. (a two-time All Pro). They are physical and smart players, and were instrumental in shutting down Pittsburgh in the Texans’ wild-card win. Houston does not play with many frills–Boutte knows he is going to see a lot of one-on-one coverage.
And he knows he has beaten a lot of one-on-one coverage by being stronger to the ball this season.
Boutte was asked if this was the toughest defense the Patriots have seen and said, “I wouldn’t say one of the toughest, at the end of the day, we know we are going to get man coverage and we gotta beat it.”
He was also asked about the physicality of the Texans corners: “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.”
GettyDerek Stingley Jr. #24 of the Houston Texans runs onto the field before a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Patriots’ Vrabel Appreciates Houston Defense
Patriots coach Mike Vrabel, for one, can appreciate that the Texans’ defense is the best the team has seen this year. Of course, that is what a coach would be expected to say in the days leading up to this kind of game.
“Yeah, of course,” Vrabel said. “I mean, they have great talent, great scheme, they play hard and I respect how hard they play. They’re not only talented, but they have a play demeanor that I can appreciate. … they play to the football. They chase the football and they get a lot of hats to the football. They create turnovers. They play physical.”
Patriots’ Kayshon Boutte Dismisses Texans Star Defenders