Patriots vs. Texans: Three Bold Predictions for Sunday’s AFC Divisional Round Battle

The divisional round of the 2025 NFL playoffs will continue on Sunday afternoon in Foxborough, Mass. as the Patriots are set to welcome the Texans to Gillette Stadium for a 3 p.m. ET kickoff.

The Texans enter this one as the hottest team in football, having won 10 games in a row behind a vaunted defense that’s allowed a league-low 277.2 yards per game and the second-fewest points (17.4) during the regular season, and an offense conducted by C.J. Stroud, who has led Houston to the divisional round for the third time in as many seasons since becoming its starting quarterback as a rookie.

New England, meanwhile, is on a hot streak of its own, having won 14 of its last 15 games since its 1–2 start to the season in September. Drake Maye has played MVP-caliber football in Year 2, the defense flew around last weekend to the tune of six sacks of Justin Herbert, and suddenly—just a year removed from a 4–13 campaign—coach Mike Vrabel has Patriots fans ready to party like it’s 2001 again.

We’re in for a good one on Sunday afternoon. Here are three bold predictions for the contest.

Darrell Taylor will sack former teammate in C.J. Stroud at least once

The Patriots have struggled to create consistent pressure off the edge for a majority of this season, and as such, have left no stone unturned in trying to improve it. Just this week, New England signed defensive end Darrell Taylor to the practice squad who, oddly enough, was released by the Texans last week.

Taylor was selected by the Seahawks in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft and, after not playing as a rookie due to injury, notched 6.5-sack, 9.5-sack, and 5.5-sack seasons before being traded to the Bears in 2024. He then signed with Houston this offseason, played in just four games before suffering an ankle injury, and was released just six days after being activated from injured reserve.

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Taylor has a “strong possibility” of being activated by the Patriots for the remainder of the postseason. And after he told Patriots Wire's Sophie Weller this week that he "definitely" has a little chip on his shoulder, the 28-year-old feels destined to sack his former teammate in C.J. Stroud at least once on Sunday afternoon.

Texans defense will force Drake Maye into multiple turnovers

Drake Maye paired his elite efficiency this regular season with some tremendous ball security, throwing just eight interceptions to 31 touchdowns while leading the NFL in both completion percentage (72.0%) and yards per attempt (8.9)—pretty impressive. In his playoff debut against the Chargers last weekend, however, the second-year phenom looked uneasy, fumbling twice (losing one) and throwing an interception while backed into his own goal line.

This Texans defense that Maye is set to face off against on Sunday will be far and away the best he’s seen this season—if not in his entire career—and will do everything they can to try to give him fits. Houston forced the third-most turnovers in the league during the regular season with 29, and showed the same knack last weekend against Pittsburgh, taking the football away twice and turning both into touchdowns.

While Maye has shown an ability to learn from his mistakes throughout the course of this season, Sunday may end up being a bit of a struggle for the 23-year-old. While still somehow keeping his team in the game, I’m predicting Maye to turn the ball over multiple times for a second-straight week.

In the lowest-scoring game of the postseason so far, the Patriots will get back to the AFC championship game for the first time since 2018

Featuring two former linebackers as head coaches in Mike Vrabel and DeMeco Ryans, Sunday’s matchup in Foxborough is set up to be a defensive slugfest. Both teams were dominant in this department in the wild-card round, with the Texans limiting the Steelers to just 175 total yards and six points, while the Patriots smothered the Chargers—allowing only 207 yards and three points.

Ultimately, I think New England’s home-field advantage will ring true in this one, and for a second week in a row, Drake Maye will do just enough offensively to keep the Patriots afloat—bringing them back to the AFC championship game for the first time since Tom Brady did so back in 2018.

Final score prediction: Patriots 10, Texans 7.

Darrell Taylor will sack former teammate in C.J. Stroud at least once

Texans defense will force Drake Maye into multiple turnovers

In the lowest-scoring game of the postseason so far, the Patriots will get back to the AFC championship game for the first time since 2018

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