Maye throws 3 touchdowns to lead Patriots to AFC title match

Drake Maye threw 3 TD passes,  Marcus Jones returned one of C.J. Stroud’s 4 picks for a score, and the New England Patriots beat the Houston Texans 28-16 to reach the AFC Championship Game for the 1^st time in 7 years.

In Mike Vrabel’s 1^st campaign as boss, New England ill make their 16th conference championship match appearance and 1^st since their run to their 6^th Super Bowl title under Bill Belichick in the 2018 campaign. The Patriots have triumphed in their last 9 divisional round matches.

New England’s quarterback finished 16-of-27 for 179 yards but had an interception and fumbled 4 times as 1 of his fumbles set up the Texans’ 1^st TD.

Carlton Davis III had 2 interceptions for the Patriots.

The 8 combined turnovers — Woody Marks also lost a fumble for the Texans – were the most in a postseason match since 2015 when Arizona and Carolina combined for 8^th in the NFC Championship Match.

More on this topic:

Patriots become 1st organization to 11 victories, beating Giants 33-15

Houston has lost in the divisional round in 3 consecutive campaigns under boss DeMeco Ryans. The organization is now 0-7 all-time in this round.

THE TORCH HAS BEEN PASSED 🔥

Drake Maye leads the Patriots to the AFC Championship for the first time since Tom Brady 💪 pic.twitter.com/blR0LCwHeU

— ESPN (@espn) January 18, 2026