The Aftermath: Patriots' DEFENSIVE SHUTDOWN vs. Texans proof-positive of Vrabel's plan for this team

NBC Sports Boston

19 January 2026

Tom Curran and Phil Perry react to the Patriots' 28-16 win over the Houston Texans to advance to their first AFC Championship Game since the 2018 season. 0:00- Patriots beat Texans 28-16 to advance to the AFC Championship Game against the Broncos 1:00- Were you surprised at all about the way this game played out? 4:45- Patriots come up with another masterstroke defensive gameplan to slow down C.J. Stroud and Houston's offense 11:50- Texans defense was "as advertised" against New England's offense 17:30- Drake Maye's sloppy play cause for concern, or were winning plays when it mattered what we should focus on? 25:35- What a turnaround for Rhamondre Stevenson this season 32:15- Is the national media finally going to buy-in on this team heading into the AFC Championship Game vs. Denver and Jarrett Stidham? WATCH every episode of the Patriots Talk podcast on YouTube Follow NBC Sports Boston: NBCSportsBoston.comX @NBCSpatriotsFacebookInstagramTikTok Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.