The clash between the Houston Texans and the New England Patriots will likely go down as the most brutal game of this year’s playoffs. By the time each team had reached its locker room for the halftime break in the AFC Divisional Round matchup, a total of six turnovers had been committed. And neither C.J. Stroud nor Drake Maye was able to find much comfort in the pocket.
Advertisement
New England’s sophomore sensation endured five sacks and fumbled twice in the first three quarters of play. However, he was still able to find Kayshon Boutte for a game-clinching 32-yard touchdown pass at the top of the fourth.
Maye’s ability to overcome adversity quite regularly has seen many compare him to his predecessor, Tom Brady. According to the team’s owner, Robert Kraft, there are “a lot of similarities” between the two of them that extend well beyond the football field.
“They both have a sense of humility, and they are understated,” Kraft said during his pregame appearance with NFL ESPN.
“I saw Drake last year, when we had that horrible record. He did something that Tommy did in the locker room in the early years. He used to go around to every offensive lineman, even after we had a bad loss, and make, in a genuine way, make them feel he really respected what they did. Drake is such an understated, humble young man. He comes from a great family. He married his seventh-grade sweetheart,” he explained.
Kraft believes the words “genuine” and “real” best describe the former Tar Heel. If you were to ask the oddsmakers out in Las Vegas, however, they may tell you that the term “Most Valuable Player” is apt too, especially this year.
Having led the league in completion percentage, yards gained per pass attempt, and passer rating, the 23-year-old closed the 2025 regular season as a slight underdog to Matthew Stafford for the regular season MVP award.
But now that Maye is headed to the AFC Championship, the only thing that’s on his mind right now is rekindling and extending the dynasty that Brady built. Following their 28-16 win over the Texans, the Patriots saw their odds of winning the Super Bowl improve to +250, making them the second favorite to win it all this year. The Seattle Seahawks continue to be the odds-on favorite.
Since the Denver Broncos will be without their QB1, Bo Nix, for next week’s match-up, New England figures to have the easiest remaining path to the title game. That’s right, believe it or not, the Patriots are back in the conference championship for the first time since 2018.
It won’t seem fair to all of the other fan bases out there. But it’s times like these where we are reminded that the gridiron doesn’t care about your feelings, and neither does Drake Maye.
New England will return to play at Empower Field at Mile High on January 25. The game starts at 3:00 pm EST.
