The Houston Texans head to New England as a slight 3-point underdog to take on the Patriots in the early game of Sunday’s NFL divisional round action.
Patriots quarterback Drake Maye has enjoyed a dream season, his second in the NFL, but he’ll get perhaps his toughest test yet against a fierce Houston defense.
The Texans have been one of the best in the league at both the pass and run, but quarterbacks in particular have been awful against them.
Allowing just 5.7 yards per pass, which was the third-fewest in the league, the Texans didn’t give up more than 278 yards through the air in a game this season. Just five times did they allow passing yards more than 200 passing yards in a game.
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Their scary pass defense was on full display Monday night when they held Aaron Rodgers to just 146 passing yards.
The weather won’t do Maye any favors either. There’s potential for snow and rain at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough while temperatures could drop into the mid-20s during the game. Texans receiver Nico Collins has also been ruled out due to a concussion he suffered in last week’s win over the Steelers.
With a tough task in the pass game, I’m expecting Maye to use his legs, which he’s been doing much more of late, averaging 39.4 yards on the ground over his past five games.
Maye couldn’t have been much better this season heading into Sunday’s game, but he might be in for a reality check with the Texans chasing him down.
THE PLAY: Drake Maye Under 221.5 passing yards (-115, FanDuel Sportsbook) | Over 34.5 rushing yards (-110, DraftKings Sportsbook)
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Dylan Svoboda is a versatile writer and analyst across many sports. He’s particularly knowledgeable about the big three — MLB, the NFL and the NBA.
