FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — In a bustling New England Patriots locker room, edge rusher K’Lavon Chaisson yelled, “Everybody drafted them!”
According to the oddsmakers, the Patriots aren’t exactly underdogs at home. But a panel of five ESPN analysts unanimously predicts an upset for the Houston Texans. The Patriots kept the receipt. So the team’s X account shared a “SportsCenter” clip of a Texans prediction after New England’s 28-16 victory over a cold-blooded team on Sunday, but it didn’t come to fruition.
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Grammy Award-winning rapper Cardi B, who is expecting a baby with her boyfriend, Patriots receiver Stefon Diggs, shared a video in which she screams, “What are you talking about!!!”
The tweet made its way around the Patriots locker room.
After what was expected to be a rough day, the Patriots’ offense was more even-keeled against a stout defense. But the Patriots’ defense has a lot to say, and they believe the narrative all week has framed this game as a matter of the Texans’ strong defense versus the Patriots’ strong offense.
New England’s linebackers heard what they thought was a chorus of praise for the Texans’ defense, but that didn’t extend to New England’s defense. Chaisson’s ambush on C.J. Stroud resulted in two interceptions, including a pick-and-6, and he was ready to respond.
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“We definitely saw noise,” Chaisson told Yahoo Sports. “Man, we knew we heard the defense, we heard the challenge. … So we definitely noticed that and we made sure we knew it was a challenge for the defense to continue to make plays and show who’s the best player on the field.
“When you talk about the Patriots, you can talk about all three sides of the ball.”
Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, a top MVP candidate along with the Los Angeles Rams’ Matthew Stafford, ultimately played a key role in securing the victory. But New England’s suffocating defense led the team to its first AFC Championship in the post-Tom Brady era. The Patriots took advantage of the cold weather at New England’s stadium and football stadium, forcing the Texans to take five takeaways that resulted in injuries to several players.
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When New England takes on the Denver Broncos next week, the Patriots aren’t insisting on masking the noise or keeping their voices to themselves.
Head coach Mike Vrabel encouraged his players to “embrace the pressure.” The defensive linemen and secondary playmakers both insist no one believed they would be here. Whether real or contrived, the Patriots’ legacy of perceived and intentional slights on those blustery and snowy days remains. Tom Brady would be proud.
“I think we’re one of those teams that plays better when we’re under pressure,” said Diggs, who caught four passes for 40 yards and a touchdown. “There were some commentators and people, and I did see little tidbits – because I try not to read too much – that they all picked Houston to win. I mean, there’s a good reason: This is a good football team. And I understand their strengths…
“Hopefully they can do that again this week because it’s another good defense [in Denver] We were going to check it out. “
5 takeaways on Patriots defensive confidence: ‘We can play against anyone’
The Patriots offense looked great on the first series, making the decisive decision to go for it on fourth-and-1 from the 28-yard line.
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Texans safety Calen Bullock defends tight end as Patriots receiver DeMario Douglas passes on a pass. Bullock’s fingers grazed the ball, but then Douglas caught the ball, ran upfield and scored, and Bullock fell. With 9 minutes and 35 seconds left in the first quarter, the Patriots took the lead for the first time. They maintained their advantage for the remaining 2 minutes and 20 seconds of the game.
New England’s offense was inconsistent: The Patriots punted eight times in the divisional round and lost possession twice on Meyer fumbles.
But Vrabel lived up to expectations, as he said of his offense: It’s not going to be pretty against this defense.. He told them to expect a “tough sled” against a “fast, talented” force. So when the drought hits, the Patriots offense keeps its cool.
The struggle moving forward helped. The Patriots had a cushion from their defense, who took over and took the ball away multiple times. Six days earlier, the Patriots had watched the Pittsburgh Steelers throw two fumbles and an interception against Stroud and they believed: Houston’s offense was prone to errors. If they stop running and make the Texans one-dimensional, they’re in for a treat. New England held Houston to a season-low 48 rushing yards — and did go home satisfied.
New England came out strong in the divisional round against Houston, picking up Marcus Jones with the sixth pick. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
(Icon Sports Wire via Getty Images)
Cornerback Carlton Davis III picked off Stroud on one pressure by Chaisson, and Marcus Jones added an interception and a touchdown on another Chaison chase. Safety Craig Woodson dived for the ball from Texas receiver Xavier Hutchinson, but the ball didn’t stay in his hands; Davis then took down Stroud again.
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“They made a mistake last week and we knew going into the game that if they made a mistake like that we had to capitalize on that and that’s what we did,” Woodson told Yahoo Sports. “That’s what it’s all about. We just do who we are.”
patriots defense Can This is not shocking. New England’s defense ranked fourth in points per game and eighth in yards per game during the regular season. But the team’s defensive effort — which includes interim coordinator Zach Kuhl’s growing trust and the return of injured players including defensive tackles Milton Williams and Kyris Tonga — has been overshadowed by Meyer’s drama for much of the season.
The Texans, who ranked second in points allowed per game and first in yards allowed per game during the regular season, are getting hyped after their defense shut down four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers in a wild-card road game.
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So New England is trying to prove it can keep up. Of course, the defenders will never confront each other directly. But that didn’t stop the Patriots from taking pride in stealing the thunder from the Texans defense.
“We knew it was going to be a battle and we just came together and played the game we had to play,” linebacker Jake Gibbons told Yahoo Sports. “If we continue to play like that, stay together, put in the work and play complementary defense, then I feel like I like us against anybody.”
Meyer hopes to bounce back against Broncos: ‘I can’t be too hard on myself’
While the equipment staff handed out tagged footballs to commemorate the takeaway, members of the Patriots’ locker room already knew who awaited them in the conference championship game.
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Like Houston, the Broncos pose a threat first on defense. The Denver Nuggets are allowing the third-most points per game this season and the second-most yards allowed per game.
The slow pace of the regular season schedule may not have fully prepared Meyer for Denver. But back-to-back games against the Los Angeles Chargers and All-Pro defensive lineman Texans further tested his mettle.
Meyer wants some games on Sunday. He also bounces off them and punches out when it matters most.
“I think I can get more opportunities downfield and make better passes,” Meyer said after completing 16 of 20 passes for 178 yards, three touchdowns and an interception at halftime. “But I can’t be too hard on myself [as I] Move on to the next one. “
On a day when the Texans’ Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter overwhelmed his offensive linemen, Meyer’s pocket awareness left something to be desired. Meyer lost a fumble when defensive tackle Tommy Togiai took him off during a scramble, and Anderson lost another fumble when he beat left tackle Will Campbell and slammed Meyer from behind as he finally threw the ball. The Patriots fumbled the ball twice more to preserve possession.
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But Meyer also hit three different teammates for touchdowns. In addition to finding Douglas early, Meyer threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to Diggs with 3:12 left in the first half and led to a Boutte or no-one pass in the fourth quarter to receiver Kayshon Boutte, who caught the pass with one hand.
“I’m impressed,” Diggs said of Bute’s touchdown catch. “Pop music [DeMario Douglas] Pop it out. I tried to follow Pop. then i thought [Boutte] It’s the sprinkles on top of the ice cream. He’s a great player. “
Teammates say that’s what Meyer is like.
That could separate the Patriots from the Broncos next Sunday at 3 p.m. ET, when two teams with strong defenses face off and only one has a starting quarterback. Denver quarterback Bo Nix suffered a broken ankle in overtime Saturday night against the Buffalo Bills. Former Patriot Jarrett Stidham, who hasn’t attempted a pass all season for the Broncos, will take his place. (Stidham did take a knee on the field in a blowout win over the Cowboys.)
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While the Patriots’ defense wishes Nix a speedy recovery and praises Stidham and Denver’s offense as a problem, facing a quarterback without an acclimation period gives the Patriots an advantage. One league source said they expect the Denver Nuggets offense to look similar, although the Knicks have less mobility to extend games. That mobility is one of several strengths that Meyer gives the Patriots confidence.
“He’s the catalyst for this team,” Gibbons said of Meyer. “We went wherever he went and he was unbelievable.”
Campbell added: “He’s who he is for a reason. Nothing can hold him back.”
Even less might hold the Patriots defense back on Sunday. Vrabel’s speech to the team on Saturday reaffirmed this: Every player has made the necessary plays and will continue to be an integral part of the championship formula.
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The Patriots embraced the noise, both figuratively and literally, as the much-hyped Gillette Stadium roared with cheers and the stadium shook multiple times.
So when the Patriots arrive at Empower Field at Mile High Stadium next week, don’t expect the decibels to rock them. They have been training for them.
“We knew the stadium was going to be noisy,” Vrabel said. “So, the louder the better.”
