Texans vs New England Patriots Match Player Stats: Stroud's 4 INTs vs Maye's 3 TDs

I rewound the Marcus Jones pick-six three times. Not because it was flashy. Because it was the exact moment the game flipped. C.J. Stroud stared down his receiver, Jones jumped the route, and Gillette Stadium erupted in snow and rain.

If you're digging into the Texans vs. New England Patriots match player stats, the box score tells a brutal story. Stroud threw four interceptions. Drake Maye threw three touchdowns.

The Patriots won 28-16 and punched their ticket to the AFC Championship. Here's what actually happened, beyond the final score.

Stroud's Nightmare Half (And It Wasn't Just One Bad Throw)

Stroud finished 20-of-47 for 212 yards. One touchdown. Four interceptions. A passer rating of 28.0. Those numbers are ugly. But the timing makes them worse.

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All four interceptions came in the first half. The Patriots' defense pressured him on 44.2% of his dropbacks. That's not a occasional blitz. That's constant chaos. When New England sent extra rushers, Stroud completed just 8-of-23 passes for 89 yards and two picks.

The pick-six from Marcus Jones gave New England a 14-10 lead. Stroud never recovered. Carlton Davis III grabbed two interceptions. Craig Woodson added another . By halftime, the game felt decided.

I've watched Stroud play enough to know this wasn't the real him. He's been sharp all season. But cold weather, a shaky offensive line, and a Patriots defense that smelled blood created a perfect storm. It happens.

Maye's Three TDs (And the Fumbles Nobody Talks About)

Maye's stat line looks clean on the surface. 16-of-27. 179 yards. Three touchdowns. One interception. A 100.7 passer rating.

But here's what the box score hides: Maye fumbled four times. He lost two of them. The conditions were miserable. Snow and rain fell throughout. The ball was slick. One of his fumbles set up Houston's first touchdown.

Maye didn't win this game with his arm. He won it by surviving. He threw three scores in weather that made throwing dangerous. He didn't force the ball into tight windows. He took what the defense gave him and let Stroud's mistakes decide the outcome.

That's what good quarterbacks do in playoff games. They don't need to be spectacular. They need to be less bad than the other guy.

The Turnover Math That Explains Everything

Eight combined turnovers. The most in a playoff game since 2015.

Houston lost the turnover battle 5-2. Stroud's four interceptions. Woody Marks' fumble. New England gave the ball away twice on Maye's fumbles. The difference was simple. The Patriots turned Houston's mistakes into points. The Texans couldn't do the same.

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Marcus Jones' pick-six was the dagger. But Carlton Davis III's two interceptions killed two Houston drives that were building momentum. Craig Woodson's interception and fumble recovery sealed it.

This game wasn't about offensive brilliance. It was about which team could hold onto the ball. New England did just enough.

What This Means for Both Quarterbacks Going Forward?

Stroud's season ended on his worst performance of the year. That's brutal. But context matters. He's been excellent for most of 2026. He threw for 1,714 yards and nine touchdowns with just one interception through six weeks.

This game doesn't erase that. It's a playoff loss against a defense that was playing its best football. Maye moves on to the AFC Championship. His season has been up and down. He threw seven interceptions in his first four games.

Then he cleaned it up. Over a three-game stretch before this playoff run, he threw for 878 yards and 10 touchdowns with one interception.

The Patriots are in the conference title game because their defense dominated and Maye didn't lose it. That's the formula. It worked against Houston. It might work again.

The Final Thoughts

If you're searching for new England patriots vs Texans match player stats to settle a debate, here's the answer. Stroud was the reason Houston lost. Maye was the reason New England didn't.

That's the difference between a quarterback who survives a messy game and one who drowns in it. The Patriots didn't win because Maye outplayed Stroud. They won because Stroud collapsed and Maye stayed upright.

Sometimes that's all playoff football asks.