Patriots 28, Texans 16: New England Advances to First AFC Championship Since 2018

The Patriots will visit the Broncos in Denver next Sunday for a chance to reach the Super Bowl.

The Patriots are on to the AFC championship game. | David Butler II-Imagn Images

FOXBORO, Mass. — In what became one of the sloppiest defensive slugfests you'll ever see in the National Football League, the Patriots took down the Texans 28–16 on Sunday afternoon at Gillette Stadium and—behind a suffocating defensive performance—clinched their first AFC Championship Game appearance since 2018.

Both signal callers were far from perfect in this one, with C.J. Stroud throwing four first-half interceptions for Houston while Drake Maye turned the ball over three times himself. The Patriots, however, were able to capitalize with a pick-six from cornerback Marcus Jones, and although Maye had his fair share of misses, he delivered when it mattered most, throwing three touchdown passes to three different receivers, including a game-sealing bomb to Kayshon Boutte—who hauled in a one-handed grab over Derek Stingley.

New England will now head to Denver next weekend, where they’ll take on the Bo Nix-less Broncos for a 3:00 p.m. ET kickoff—with a chance to advance to Super Bowl LX on the line.

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