Patriots happy to flaunt D vs. vaunted Texans unit

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The New England Patriots had respect for the No. 1-ranked Houston Texans defense entering Sunday's divisional-round playoff game. At the same time, they believed their own defense deserved a similar level of respect.

"They're really good for a reason, but our guys are prideful men," Patriots coach Mike Vrabel said after a 28-16 victory at snowy Gillette Stadium that was spearheaded by five forced turnovers. "They deserve the recognition that they're going to get. They're a top-5 defense for a reason, as well."

The swarming defensive performance -- which tied the franchise postseason record with four interceptions -- helped the Patriots advance to the AFC Championship Game next Sunday against the host Denver Broncos (3 p.m. ET).

It marks the Patriots' 16th trip to the conference championship game and their first since appearing in eight straight from 2011 to '18 -- when Bill Belichick was the coach and Tom Brady the quarterback. This year's team, which has authored one of the most surprising turnarounds in the NFL after back-to-back four-win seasons, is led by Vrabel and quarterback Drake Maye.

But Sunday against the Texans, with Maye sacked five times and losing two fumbles, the Patriots leaned mostly on their defense.

"Props to our defense, they played great," said Maye, who finished 16-of-27 passing for 179 yards, with three touchdowns and one interception on an end-of-half Hail Mary. "It was tough. Battle of the elements. We knew they were going to be a good defense. Our defense helped us all night."

In a reflection of how the Patriots' defense felt overlooked in the matchup, safety Jaylinn Hawkins celebrated with Vrabel in the tunnel after the game as he asked the question, "Who's the best defense?"

"It definitely fueled the whole defense. Nobody has been talking about our defense all year. We'll see what they say today," added defensive tackle Milton Williams, who won a Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles last year and has been a centerpiece in the Patriots' resurgence.

"Every week we're trying to come out and dominate, knowing that they do have a great defense, but in our minds, it was our defense versus their defense. See who could make more plays, create more turnovers, stop the run and get the ball back to our offense."

One factor that led to the Patriots' defensive success was making the Texans one-dimensional. In the first half, they limited the Texans to 8 rushing yards on 12 carries. That allowed them to pressure quarterback C.J. Stroud consistently, forcing him into four interceptions before halftime.

The Texans finished with 48 yards on 22 carries (2.2-yard average), while Stroud was 20-of-47 passing for 212 yards with one touchdown and the four picks. Cornerback Carlton Davis III had two interceptions, cornerback Marcus Jones had a 26-yard pick-6 set up by a ferocious pass rush from outside linebacker K'Lavon Chaisson, and rookie safety Craig Woodson had the other interception. Meanwhile, cornerback Christian Gonzalez forced a fumble by running back Woody Marks in the third quarter after the Texans had closed to 21-13.

"They're playing well together," Vrabel said. "I feel like they're complementing each other, and our turnovers are created by more than one guy. There's some great efforts."

Vrabel also credited play-caller Zak Kuhr, who has held the role all season in place of coordinator Terrell Williams, who has been focusing on his recovery from prostate cancer.

"We're taking advantage of our opportunities, and that's what it's going to take in the playoffs," Vrabel said. "I think we kept changing the look up on him a little bit; give our guys credit to be able to disguise. We talked about that, and certainly affecting the quarterback is a big part of winning in this league."

Now the unit looks to carry that momentum into the AFC Championship Game against the Broncos, who will start backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham in place of the injured Bo Nix. New England opened as a 4.5-point road favorite, per DraftKings Sportsbook.

The Patriots have allowed just one touchdown in two playoff games, making them the first team to allow one or fewer touchdowns in a two-game span within a postseason since the 2006 Indianapolis Colts (who went on to win the Super Bowl).

"We have a great defense," defensive tackle Christian Barmore said. "When we play as a team, it's hard to beat. We need to keep doing what we have to do, focus on Denver, and we're all going to play as a team."