NFL

Houston Texans at New England Patriots

· National Football League
5-1, 2-1 Away
Final
41 - 21
1-5, 0-3 Home

C.J. Stroud throws 3 TD passes as the Texans beat the Patriots 41-21 in Drake Maye's first start

Joe Mixon rushed for 102 yards and caught a TD pass from Stroud after the veteran missed the Texans' previous three games with an ankle injury.

“He’s got a great feel for the game and has great vision,” Stroud said.

Stefon Diggs had six catches for 77 yards and a score for the AFC South-leading Texans (5-1), and Tank Dell had seven receptions for 57 yards and a TD.

Dameon Pierce ripped off a 54-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter and finished with 76 yards on eight carries. Will Anderson Jr. recorded a career-best three sacks for Houston, which has won three straight.

“You’ve got to keep chopping and going and keep getting better,” Anderson said. “I have to give credit to the defensive linemen. Those guys are tremendous in what they do. I love those guys.”

The Patriots (1-5) got a boost from Maye, the No. 3 overall pick in the NFL draft. Taking over for veteran Jacoby Brissett, he finished 20 of 33 for 243 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran for 38 yards but was intercepted twice and sacked four times, one resulting in a lost fumble deep in New England territory that led to a Houston touchdown.

After sacking No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams seven times in a win over Chicago last week, Houston wasted little time in making Maye feel uncomfortable. The Patriots went three-and-out on their first possession, and on their next series, Maye overthrew his intended target and was intercepted by Calen Bullock — one of four turnovers by New England, which has lost five straight and fell to 0-3 at home this season.

“The thing about this team is taking the ball away,” Anderson said. “If you get a lot of turnovers, you win the game.”

Maye threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to Kayshaun Boutte with 11 seconds left in the first half. The rookie equaled Brissett’s TD output through five games (two) when he found tight end Hunter Henry in the left flat for a 6-yard score that cut into Houston’s lead to 27-14 in the third quarter.

Maye gave the Patriots fans who stuck around with one more reason to cheer when he connected with DeMario Douglas for a 35-yard TD in the fourth quarter. Douglas had six catches for 92 yards.

“I thought he showed a lot of poise. I thought he went out there and controlled the huddle, got those guys out of the huddle and once again, made some plays. It’s definitely encouraging,” Patriots coach Jerod Mayo said of Maye. “From a team-wide perspective right now, we let him down. It was his first game, and I feel like I let him down. I’m sure all the coaches feel like we let everyone down. We’ve just got to be better.”

Both teams took the field without key players on offense. The Texans placed top receiver Nico Collins on injured reserve with a hamstring injury, while the Patriots were minus running back Rhamondre Stevenson, who has a foot injury.

Stroud finished 20 of 31 for 192 yards. He was intercepted once.

“We knew that we needed everyone to step up. Once everyone took on that challenge, we started rolling,” Stroud said. “We couldn’t feel bad about Nico not being there. We had to pick up the slack.”

Franchise first Houston won at New England for the first time. The Texans had been 0-7 at Gillette Stadium, including playoffs.

Ground gainers Mixon and Pierce led a Houston rushing attack that finished with 192 yards.

“Those guys bring playmaking ability,” Houston coach DeMeco Ryans said. “Very excited to see those guys continue to do more for us, but very pleased with the run game and how they got after it.”

Penalties galore One week after committing 12 penalties for 105 yards in a loss to visiting Miami, the Patriots were flagged on the game’s opening kickoff for an illegal formation. That was just the beginning, with New England getting flagged for pass interference on third down to set up each of Houston's first-quarter touchdowns.

All told, New England was penalized nine times for 50 yards.

“It’s the same story over and over again,” Mayo said.

Yin and yang The Patriots reached a season high in scoring behind Maye, but they also gave up their most points this season.

Big leg Bryce Baringer's 54-yard punt in the second quarter extended the Patriots punter's NFL-leading streak to 23 games with a kick of at least 50 yards.

Injuries Texans: LB Azeez Al-Shaair left in the first half with a knee injury.

Patriots: T Vederian Lowe left in the first half with an ankle injury.

Up next Texans: At Green Bay next Sunday.

Patriots: Travel to London to face Jacksonville next Sunday.

How can I watch Texans vs. Patriots?

  • TV Channel: Texans at Patriots 2021-22 NFL, week 6 is broadcasted nationally on CBS and NFL Sunday Ticket - Paramount+ NFL on CBS 2021 - Try it FREE!.
  • Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.
    In Canada, viewers can watch Texans vs. Patriots on DAZN.

Matchup Prediction

Patriots: 29.5%
Texans: 70.3%
*According to ESPN's Football Power Index

Scoring Summary

HOU TD 1st Period 9:13 Tank Dell 2 Yd pass from C.J. Stroud (Ka'imi Fairbairn Kick)
HOU TD 1st Period 3:13 Joe Mixon 10 Yd pass from C.J. Stroud (Ka'imi Fairbairn Kick)
NE TD 2nd Period 0:11 Kayshon Boutte 40 Yd pass from Drake Maye (Joey Slye Kick)
HOU TD 3rd Period 13:28 Stefon Diggs 10 Yd pass from C.J. Stroud (Ka'imi Fairbairn Kick)
HOU FG 3rd Period 6:56 Ka'imi Fairbairn 39 Yd Field Goal
HOU FG 3rd Period 5:22 Ka'imi Fairbairn 46 Yd Field Goal
NE TD 3rd Period 1:00 Hunter Henry 6 Yd pass from Drake Maye (Joey Slye Kick)
HOU TD 4th Period 13:14 Joe Mixon 20 Yd Run (Ka'imi Fairbairn Kick)
NE TD 4th Period 9:24 DeMario Douglas 35 Yd pass from Drake Maye (Joey Slye Kick)
HOU TD 4th Period 7:47 Dameon Pierce 54 Yd Run (Ka'imi Fairbairn Kick)

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nfl/500/hou.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originHOU https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nfl/500/ne.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originNE
20 1st Downs 17
13 Passing 1st downs 12
5 Rushing 1st downs 3
2 1st downs from penalties 2
4-11 3rd down efficiency 3-13
0-0 4th down efficiency 2-2
62 Total Plays 63
368 Total Yards 291
5.9 Yards per Play 4.6
14 Total Drives 14
176 Passing 209
20/32 Comp/Att 20/33
5.2 Yards per pass 5.6
1 Interceptions thrown 2
2-16 Sacks-Yards Lost 4-34
192 Rushing 82
28 Rushing Attempts 26
6.9 Yards per rush 3.2
3-3 Red Zone (Made-Att) 1-1
4-38 Penalties 9-50
1 Turnovers 4
0 Fumbles lost 2
1 Interceptions thrown 2
0 Defensive / Special Teams TDs 0
30:47 Possession 29:13

Game Information

Gillette Stadium

Location: Foxborough, MA
Attendance: 64,628 · Capacity:

2024 AFC South Standings

TEAM W L PCT T PF PA
Houston 7 4 .636 0 258 236
Indianapolis 5 6 .455 0 236 250
Tennessee 2 8 .200 0 170 263
Jacksonville 2 9 .182 0 208 316

2024 AFC East Standings

TEAM W L PCT T PF PA
Buffalo 9 2 .818 0 320 214
Miami 4 6 .400 0 181 221
New York 3 8 .273 0 204 242
New England 3 8 .273 0 182 248
Full Standings

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