Foxborough, MA – The Patriots are one win away from the Super Bowl; yes, you read that correctly.

After beating the Texans in a 28-16 slugfest at a snowy Gillette Stadium, the Patriots punched their ticket to the AFC Championship Game for the 16th time in franchise history, which is tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers for most in NFL history. As far as improbable runs go, head coach Mike Vrabel has been a part of two of them in New England. First, as a player, when the Patriots, led by second-year QB Tom Brady, won Super Bowl XXXVI in the 2001 season. Now, Vrabel is one win away from a trip to Santa Clara for Super Bowl LX as the Patriots head coach with second-year QB Drake Maye. Truly, a remarkable turnaround from consecutive four-win seasons to the AFC title game, one that we can't quite put into words because it's that unbelievable.

As for the divisional round win, the beauty of that kind of game is in the eye of the beholder. If you're a defense guy, there were a combined eight turnovers between the two teams, the most in an NFL playoff game in a decade. You could say it was great defense, which it was, but the Patriots will need to play much better offense to reach their ultimate goal of winning a title. Although the offense was mostly sloppy, Vrabel pointed to two second-half drives that were high-level football. The first was a touchdown drive capped off by a pretty 32-yard pass from Maye to WR Kayshon Boutte and then Vrabel noted a "classy" fourth-quarter drive that chewed 5:58 off the clock to essentially ice the game with a two-score lead.

"It wasn't pretty. Defense kept us in there. When we needed it, our offense was able to come through late in the game there in the second half with a touchdown, giving us a two-score lead. I felt like that drive, backed up there from the 3-yard line, where we ran the ball and took a lot of clock, was pretty classy," Vrabel said after the game. "I'm always excited for our organization, excited for the players. I am appreciative of their work and their efforts."

In this league, you can't take anything for granted, but the Patriots have been presented with a golden opportunity after an unfortunate injury to Broncos starting QB Bo Nix in Denver's win over the Bills earlier this weekend. Although nobody is celebrating an injury, the road warrior Patriots (8-0 on the road this season) open as 4.5-point favorites in Denver next Sunday. By advancing past an impressive Texans defense, New England is maximizing its opportunity as things fall its way around the AFC.

Here are eight takeaways from the Patriots victory over the Texans to advance to the AFC Championship Game at 3 p.m. ET next Sunday in Denver.

1. Play of the Game: QB Drake Maye Hits WR Kayshon Boutte on a 32-Yard Touchdown Pass to Secure Two-Score Lead in the Fourth Quarter

Although the Patriots defense won the day, the offense finished off the Texans with a Maye-to-Boutte special, which was one of our keys to the game heading into Sunday.

Houston's defense lived up to the hype in Sunday's turnover-filled game, but one area where they were vulnerable was their 14th-ranked pass defense in explosive pass rate. Maye, of course, produced the highest explosive pass rate in the NFL this season, so getting over the top of the Texans corners at least once seemed possible and was a must to come away with a win. Although it was his only deep completion of the afternoon, all it took was one Boutte bomb to grab control of the game.

On the 3rd-and-4 play, the Texans play man coverage with a single-high safety with six potential rushers on the line of scrimmage. Houston drops out of the simulated pressure and appears to blitz the nickel defender, but Maye quickly attacks the single coverage on the outside with Boutte manned up on old college teammate Derek Stingley Jr. Boutte then makes an outstanding one-handed catch on a well-placed ball by Maye for an incredible touchdown grab, giving the Patriots a commanding 28-16 lead.

"He keeps on making plays, making me look good. I'm proud to be able to give him some throws to make a play on it," Maye said of Boutte's touchdown. "A one-handed catch, not much else to say about it. It was pretty sweet. Kind of the same type of throw as my first one to him. And he made an even better catch this time."

Maye had his own full-circle moment that he referenced in his post-game press conference. The Pats QB's first-career touchdown pass was in the same corner of the lighthouse side end zone against the Texans last season, a 40-yard touchdown catch by Boutte on Stingley. To put an exclamation point on New England's divisional round win with almost an identical touchdown pass to his go-to deep threat was pretty neat.

2. Patriots Defense Rallies Around Hype for the Texans Defense in Sunday's Matchup

As they showed in Sunday's game, the Texans defense deserved the flowers it received from many national pundits, who made them sound like an impenetrable force all week.

Houston's defense forced three turnovers and nearly caused two additional takeaways when New England had fortunate fumble luck. Still, there wasn't enough made of what the Patriots defense could do to Texans QB C.J. Stroud and the Pats defense won the game by forcing a season-high five turnovers while holding Houston to 16 points. Plus, the Texans lone TD drive came when Houston took over off a fumble recovery at the NE 27.

"I'm sure they're going to tell you in 30 seconds as soon as you guys go rushing out of here. Again, [Houston] is really good for a reason; they've shown it each and every week. But our guys are prideful men. And they want to compete and they want to win. They deserve the recognition that they're going to get. They're a top-five defense for a reason as well," Vrabel said.

Along with the five turnovers (four first-half interceptions), Stroud finished in the ninth percentile with -0.33 EPA per drop-back and the Texans only had a 29% rushing success rate (48 yards on 22 attempts). For the second week in a row, the Pats D-Line dominated an opponent's weakness, pressuring Stroud on 44.2% of his drop-backs while shutting down Houston's run game against a shaky Texans O-Line.

On initial viewing, the leader in the trenches was edge-rusher K'Lavon Chaisson, who tallied seven total pressures and a sack, including pressuring Stroud into a bad decision on a pick-six. The Texans ran a bootleg concept to Chaisson's side, and the Pats pass-rusher wasn't fooled, immediately pressuring Stroud into an ill-advised pass to a crossing Xavier Hutchinson. Due to the pressure, Stroud put the ball up for grabs, and NCB Marcus Jones returned an interception for a pick-six to give the Patriots a 14-10 lead.

The other star of the game was CB Carlton Davis III, who had two interceptions in the first half. Davis's first interception came with the Texans driving into field goal range. Houston ran a quarters beater where an outside vertical route clears out the sideline for a "snooze' wheel by the slot receiver, who delays his release upfield before wheeling up the sideline. Davis reads the route combination to fall off the vertical route over the top of the wheel, and with some interior push from defensive tackles Cory Durden and Leonard Taylor III, Stroud puts too much air on the ball, and Davis makes a terrific diving up interception along the sideline.

"Yeah, we did take it personally," DT Christian Barmore said of the hype around the Texans defense. "I feel like our coach was hyping us up. I feel like people don't understand that we have a great defense, too. It's a hockey fight, like Coach Vrabel said. We can put the gloves on and see what's up, you know what I'm saying?"

As his wingman on the interior defensive line, Williams added that the Patriots were aware of Stroud's struggles under pressure, with the Texans QB coming into the game ranked 27th in passer rating under pressure (60.2). The Patriots knew that Stroud was susceptible to a few turnovers if they pressured him in the pocket and Houston's quarterback threw two picks while under duress.

"If he's kept clean, he can make any throw that any quarterback can make, but under pressure, he puts the ball in harm's way and we try to take advantage of it," Williams said.

When it comes to playoff football, games are won and lost in the trenches. If the Patriots defensive front continues to shine, they're going to have a chance in every game.

3. Patriots QB Drake Maye Exchanges Heymakers with the Texans Defense

The Patriots quarterback was the first one to tell reporters that he needs to do a better job protecting the football in the pocket, but Maye still made key plays in Sunday's win.

Along with their bookend edge rushers forcing four fumbles, Houston builds its defensive philosophy on sound structure to shut down offenses on first down, putting opponents in second and third-and-long where its pass-rushers can tee off. On Sunday, the Pats were in too many long down-and-distances, which is why the sacks snowballed. The Texans defense also played more single-high safety coverages than the Patriots expected, catching the Pats in first-down runs and second-down passes into two-high safeties.

On first down, the Texans played a single-high safety structure 45.8% of the time, with the Patriots averaging 2.9 yards per rush on 19 run plays (only six first-down passes). The Texans then played 59.1% of the Patriots second downs in two-high safety shells and the Pats doubled their pass attempts to 11 (-0.45 EPA per pass). Typically, offenses want to throw into single-high shells and run into two-high shells, so Houston was a step ahead there.

The early-down battle going Houston's way was a big reason why Maye was just 16-of-27 for 179 passing yards with two real turnovers (INT came on a Hail Mary), leading to -0.25 EPA per drop-back (25th percentile). However, Maye also threw three touchdown passes and generated four explosive pass plays, including another long touchdown in the first quarter.

The first-quarter touchdown pass from Maye to WR DeMario Douglas came against all-out pressure by Houston. The Texans played the 4th-and-1 play without a deep safety (cover zero), sending five rushers plus the nickel defender to close the pocket off the edge. The aggressive coverage call presented single coverage opportunities across the board and Maye beat Texans S Calen Bullock on the slant to WR DeMario Douglas for a 28-yard touchdown.

Maye also layered a pretty throw into Boutte on a slant that led to a 25-yard gain on the Patriots second touchdown drive. This time, the Pats ran play-action against a two-high safety shell with a slant-flat combination to Maye's left. Maye moves the short zone-dropper, S Jalen Pitre, with his eyes on the flat and then lays a throw into Boutte on the run for yards after the catch.

Although turnovers could get the Patriots beat in the future, Maye is cancelling some of those out with explosive plays. On Sunday, his two explosive touchdowns were the difference in the game compared to his QB counterpart on the other sideline.

4. Patriots O-Line Battles with "Transformers" on the Texans Defensive Line

After seeing them for the second time in his NFL career, Maye referred to Texans EDGEs Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter as Transformers, pointing to their size and freakish athleticism.

Houston's bookend edge rushers, which are the best tandem in the league, combined to have five sacks and eight total pressures while causing three fumbles – total game-wreckers. However, the overall pressure rate doesn't look too bad on initial viewing despite Houston's five sacks. Maye was only under pressure on 27.3% of his drop-backs and most of those came off the left side. Rookie LT Will Campbell struggled vs. the Transformers, allowing two sacks and five total pressures. Mostly, it was Anderson who did the damage.

"I need to play better. I hold myself to a higher standard than what I put out tonight," Campbell said. "Whenever you're going against good players, the margin for error is very small and there's some stuff I have to clean up. It just takes more practice."

That said, the rest of the Patriots O-Line only allowed three total pressures and RT Morgan Moses only surrendered one in 18 matchups vs. Danielle Hunter. Plus, the Pats were able to grind out a 10-play, 44-yard drive with eight runs to get off their own 4-yard line in the fourth quarter. The "classy" drive, as Vrabel put it, chewed 5:58 off the clock and flipped field position, punting the ball back to Houston at their own 14.

Campbell's struggles with one of the best pass-rush tandems in the NFL will be over-analyzed. Still, the rest of the offensive line held its own against the Texans pass rush and the Patriots ran it well when needed.

5. More on the Patriots Defensive Game Plan vs. Stroud and the Texans

After giving the coaching staff the flowers they deserved in the Wild Card win over the Chargers, we wanted to give the players the love first this week. That said, defensive play-caller Zak Kuhr called another solid game on Sunday night. The Pats majored in quarters (14 snaps) and cover-one (11 snaps) against Stroud, using the two-high safety shells to keep a lid on the defense.

New England also continued to blitz at a high rate, with a 46.2% blitz rate, which led to four of Stroud's six turnover-worthy plays. Stroud was 8-of-23 for 89 yards and two interceptions when the Pats blitzed, so those schemes were mostly effective again after a somewhat slow start (Kirk TD). Kuhr's increased aggressiveness on early-down calls in the postseason has led to two terrific defensive performances.

6. Patriots Corners Play Sides Rather Than Traveling with Texans Wideouts

With the Texans down star receiver Nico Collins (concussion), it made sense that the Patriots didn't see either WR Xavier Hutchinson or WR Jayden Higgins as worthy of shadow coverage. Instead, Pro Bowl CB Christian Gonzalez and CB Carlton Davis III played sides, with Davis on the boundary side (44 snaps at LCB) and Gonzalez playing as the field corner (33 snaps at RCB). That led to a season-high 15 targets for Gonzalez, who allowed a 53.3% catch rate (8-of-15) with 67 yards and a pass breakup into his coverage.

As for Davis, he was targeted eight times, logging his two interceptions while allowing three catches for 33 yards. Davis also had a tough whistle again, with two DPI calls going against him. In the slot, NCB Marcus Jones covered Texans WR Christian Kirk on 22 routes, as expected. After having eight catches for 144 yards in the Wild Card round, Kirk only had two catches for 20 yards with a touchdown against Jones, who answered with a pick-six and a pass breakup – the Pats CB was great again.

7. Breaking Down the Pats Receiver and Running Back Usage vs. Texans

The Patriots played all five of their receivers while RB Rhamondre Stevenson (39 snaps) was the lead-back with rookie TreVeyon Henderson (25 snaps) spelling him. Stevenson still got the bulk of the work despite suffering an eye injury (he returned after a brief absence). Stevenson was solid once again with several dirty runs in the second half, getting the Pats off their goal-line with four successful runs on zone schemes.

In the passing game, WR Stefon Diggs caught a key third down (14 yards) and Douglas and Boutte had long touchdowns. Boutte also drew a 17-yard pass interference penalty to move the chains on third down. Although it wasn't a hugely productive day for the Pats through the air, all three receivers came up big in key moments. They'll need more from their passing attack next week in Denver and hopefully beyond.

8. Rookie K Andy Borregales Hits Four Extra Points, P Bryce Baringer Adds Three I20s

On special teams, it was good to see Borregales knock all four kicks through in snowy conditions, as the rookie plays his first bad-weather football in the NFL. Baringer also pinned the Texans inside their own 20-yard line three times, PR Marcus Jones had a 24-yard return to give the Patriots a chance at points before halftime, and the Texans return units were held in check. If we aren't writing anything bad about the kicking game, that's usually a good thing.

Overall, the Patriots are headed to the AFC Championship Game on the back of two terrific defensive performances against the Chargers and Texans. New England needs to be more consistent on offense, but they're still creating more big plays through the air than their opponents, which has been the difference.

Next up, the Broncos with backup QB Jarrett Stidham, who once had a shot at being New England's starter in the post-Brady era. Denver's defense is legit and Mile High is a tough place to win, but there's something special happening with these Patriots – off to the AFC title game.

DISCLAIMER: The views and thoughts expressed in this article are those of the writer and don't necessarily reflect those of the organization. Read Full Disclaimer