After not winning a playoff game in each of their last six seasons, the New England Patriots are suddenly on the doorstep of the AFC Championship Game for the first time since 2018. To get there, however, they will have to follow up their win over the Los Angeles Chargers with a victory over the Houston Texans in the divisional round.
To do so, the Patriots have to bring their A-game in all three phases; the Texans have not lost a game in over two months, and are riding the longest win streak in football.
Needless to say that it will take the entirety of the New England game day roster to snap that streak. However, we will take an especially close eye on the following six players.
Here are our pivotal Patriots for Sunday afternoon.
RB Rhamondre Stevenson
New England’s No. 1 running back has rounded nicely into form over the last few games, and the team will need him to keep riding high on Sunday. The run game itself will be in for a tough task against one of the stoutest defenses in all of football, but Stevenson himself still will play a big and likely multi-faceted role.
For starters, he will lead off a running back rotation also featuring second-round draft pick TreVeyon Henderson. The rookie will also be important given his dynamic skillset, but Stevenson out-snapping Henderson would not be a surprise for two reasons: he also has shown that he can be a factor as a receiver, which should become important given Houston’s relative inconsistency against the screen game this year, while also being one of the best pass-protecting backs in the NFL.
Our eyes will also be on the veteran for another reason, though. With snowy conditions in the forecast, ball security will be crucial. Stevenson has looked good in that area for most of the season and has gone fumble-free in 10 straight games, but he still put the ball on the ground three times earlier in the year and has a bit of a history.
WR Kayshon Boutte
Kayshon Boutte has some fond memories of playing the Texans, catching his first career touchdown over All-Pro Derek Stingley Jr. the last time the two faced off in Week 6 of the 2024 season. Just like then, Boutte and Stingley Jr. going at each other will likely happen on multiple occasions, but the third-year wideout could still be heavily involved in the game plan despite the quality of his opposition.
Boutte, after all, is the Patriots’ most consistently-employed deep-field receiver. The Texans defense, meanwhile, has been fairly pedestrian at stopping explosive passing plays (at least compared to most of its statistical rankings): Houston has surrendered 19 completions of 30 or more yards this season, which amounts to an average of more than one per game.
Drake Maye will take his shots, and if so Boutte — who is averaging 16.7 yards per catch this season and has hauled in four passes of more than 30 yards — will likely be a frequent target.
TE Hunter Henry
All things considered, team captain Hunter Henry might be the Patriots’ most reliable skill position player this year. Playing the best football of his career, he has caught 63 passes for 832 yards so far and found the end zone a team-leading eight times as a receiver, including once last week versus the Chargers.
Henry’s receiving prowess will again be critical on Sunday against the Texans, particularly as a player capable of attacking the middle of the field and down the seams. Likewise, his blocking will be something New England also will try to utilize: given the immense quality of Houston’s defensive line — more on that in a second — having an extra blocker available without sacrificing a receiving outlet could end up paying dividends.
LT Will Campbell and RT Morgan Moses
The Patriots’ entire offensive line will be in the spotlight against the Texans on Sunday, but the bookends in particular will feel plenty of pressure — both literally and figuratively. Houston, after all, might just be fielding the best edge duo in all of football in All-Pro selections Will Campbell Jr. and Danielle Hunter. Together, the two have combined to register 28.5 sacks and 187 total quarterback pressures this season, an average of more than 10 per game.
While capable of being used interchangeably within the lineup, the Texans like to have them in set spots. Anderson primarily plays over the opposing right tackle, in this case Morgan Moses, while Hunter will primarily go up against rookie left tackle Will Campbell.
Both Moses and Campbell have played good football this season, but the latter in particular had a rough go last week versus the Chargers. Campbell gave up five disruptions including a sack, and was not on his A-game for much of the night last Sunday.
The Patriots likely will give him as much support as they can, both schematically and in the form of extra bodies being assigned — either in the form of a tight end or sixth lineman Thayer Munford Jr. — but Campbell himself also needs to step up. A repeat performance from last week could have devastating effects on Drake Maye and the offense as a whole, something that obviously is also true for the Moses vs. Anderson matchup.
CB Marcus Jones
The Texans will be without their No. 1 wide receiver, Nico Collins, but they still have some talented receivers in the fold. Among them is Christian Kirk, who finished the team’s wild card win over Pittsburgh with eight catches for 144 yards and a touchdown.
Kirk projects as a volume target for quarterback C.J. Stroud again come Sunday, and Houston offensive coordinator Nick Caley will likely try to use his speed to challenge the Patriots’ defense both horizontally and vertically. Of course, New England has just the player to match up with him, especially if he continues lining up in his usual spot in the slot: Marcus Jones.
Jones is playing some superb football this year, and just last week made the Chargers’ Ladd McConkey a non-factor. McConkey and Kirk are both speedsters capable of gaining yards after the catch, which means that New England’s team captain has to bring his A-game both in coverage as well as in pursuit and as a tackler. If he can, thus forcing Stroud to look elsewhere in the secondary, Houston’s pass game might be running into some issues.
