A trip to the AFC Championship Game is on the line when the New England Patriots host the Houston Texans on Sunday afternoon. Both teams head into this contest with momentum, so any advantage one side can find will go a long way.
That's where quarterback Drake Maye will give the Patriots an edge against a feisty Texans defense. The North Carolina product should be looking to use his legs as a weapon in this tilt, as it can be a deciding factor in this contest. Maye possesses the mobility and athleticism to make things shake on the ground, and the coaches should consider using his running ability as a priority.
Drake Maye Needs to Use His Legs Against Houston
This won't be an easy outing for New England's offense, to be frank. The Texans were first in the NFL in total defense (277.2) and scoring defense (17.4) during the regular season. They are sticky in coverage and have a ferocious pass rush led by Will Anderson and Danielle Hunter.
In the wild-card win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Texans were able to tee off on 41-year-old QB Aaron Rodgers. Houston held Pittsburgh to 175 total yards of offense, sacked the quarterback four times, and forced two turnovers, including a strip sack that was returned for a 33-yard touchdown by DT Sheldon Rankins.
Rodgers wasn't mobile enough to create plays with this legs, and that's an area where Maye can give the Pats an edge. The Texans play man coverage a majority of the time, which should create rushing lanes as the defenders have their backs toward the quarterback.
Receiver Kayshon Boutte spoke about the Houston defense this week and didn't hold back what he expects to see. Per Conor Roche of Boston.com, Boutte said, "At the end of the day, we know we're going to get man coverage. We've gotta beat it. It's that simple. We're going to do the same things we've been doing. At the end of the day, we want to make them try to adjust to how we play. They're not too complicated on defense. Not too many different looks."
With the tendencies of the Texans' defense known, the Pats must attack their weaknesses. In an article by Phil Perry of NBC Sports Boston, he wrote, "Since Week 13, they've [Houston] allowed the fourth-highest EPA per carry on quarterback runs (not including quarterback sneaks or kneels) and the ninth-most yards per attempt (7.8)."
This reinforces that there is room to attack Houston in this area. If Anderson and Hunter take wide rushing angles and get upfield, Maye will have holes to open up in front of him to take off and pick up yards. Of course, it isn't the best to have your franchise quarterback run and expose him to potential hits, but it's also a weapon that can help this team out.
Maye will need to protect himself, as the Texans have talented linebackers at the second level. He knows that and said, "Those guys, especially at the linebacker level, they're going to try to take your head off. I respect them for it. They do it at a really high level. They tackle the ball-carrier hard. They'll punish them. They'll make you pay for it."
At the same time, Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans praised Maye's running skillset. Ryans said, "His ability to escape the pocket doesn't get talked about much. But his athletic ability, his ability to escape the pocket has been really clutch for them. He's made some big runs to really hurt a lot of defenses, so we have to be conscious of that."
In the win over the Chargers, Maye finished with a season-high 66 rushing yards, including a 37-yard rush that set up a field goal at the end of the half. The 23-year-old ran for 450 yards during the regular season, and he needs to use that to his advantage against the Texans. The offense will need any edge they can get, and his mobility is something that can give Houston some problems, potentially giving the Pats the jolt they need to come away with the win.