The New England Patriots are still savoring their commanding 16-3 Wild Card victory over the Los Angeles Chargers, but part of their focus has already shifted to what would happen next in Pittsburgh-where the Houston Texans ultimately dominated the Pittsburgh Steelers30-6 on Monday night to punch their ticket to Foxborough.
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Now comes a brutal test for the quarterback many believe deserves the 2025 NFL MVP award: Drake Maye won’t just play another NFL playoff game-he’ll face the league’s best defense overall.
Drake Maye faces a tough challenge
After their dominant 30-6 win over the Steelers, the Texans (now 13-5) head to New England as the No. 5 seed to take on the No. 2 Patriots (15-3) in the AFC Divisional Round on Sunday, January 18, at 3:00 p.m. ET (broadcast on ESPN/ABC) at Gillette Stadium.
While C.J. Stroud leads a potent offense, it’s Houston’s defense that truly terrifies New England. The Texans ranked No. 1 in total defense this season (allowing just 277.2 yards per game), 6th against the pass, and 4th against the run-a nightmare matchup for a Patriots offensive line that’s shown recent vulnerabilities. This sets up as the ultimate high-stakes playoff test for Drake Maye and the Pats’ resurgent unit.
Maye will look to improve New England’s historical edge over Houston: The teams have met 15 times all-time, with the Patriots holding an 11-4 advantage (including 2-0 in the playoffs). This will be the third Divisional Round meeting between them-New England won both prior clashes: 41-28 in 2013 and 34-16 in 2017. (They didn’t face off in the 2025 regular season; their most recent matchup came in October 2020, a 41-21 Texans victory.)
If the Patriots survive this defensive gauntlet, Drake Maye and company would advance to face the winner of the other AFC playoff matchup: the Buffalo Bills or the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship Game.
