FOXBORO — Drake Maye barked for the ball.
It flew into his palms in the beginning of his drop close to midfield, the place he stared a snarling Texans protection straight down the center.
The stare was a entice.
As his again foot hit the again of the pocket, Maye shuffled ahead, jerked his gaze to the appropriate and cocked his arm. He lofted a deep ball down the sideline.
Kayshon Boutte was a half-step forward of Derek Stingley, probably the greatest cornerbacks within the NFL, if not soccer gamers, on the planet. Maye wager on Boutte with this throw, an ideal rainbow arcing towards the tip zone.
The wager cashed.
Landing.
That was 15 months in the past, moments earlier than halftime of a 20-point loss to the identical Houston staff that left Sunday night time having performed its final soccer of the season. That was a time when nobody knew if Maye may stroll as a beginning NFL quarterback, not to mention run or put a franchise on his again. That was his first profession landing move.
On Sunday, Maye dropped again once more close to the identical midfield spot. He veered once more to his proper and lobbed one other move down the identical sideline. This time, Stingley was in Boutte’s left pocket, and Maye’s throw appeared a contact too far off his receiver’s proper shoulder. Boutte shot his arm out and snared it anyway, finishing one of many greatest catches in franchise history.
Bedlam ensued. An exalted Gillette Stadium may exhale. This knockdown, drag-out divisional-round battle had been determined, even with 13 minutes nonetheless left on the clock.
Patriots 28, Texans 16.
The Pats are returning to the AFC Championship Recreation on a street paved by their protection, a protection that snatched 4 interceptions and embarrassed a precocious younger quarterback. If that script doesn’t really feel acquainted, like Maye’s landing move to Boutte repeating only a yr later, it ought to have.
Twenty-two years in the past to the day, the Patriots picked off Peyton Manning 4 instances in a house playoff sport to clear their path to the Tremendous Bowl. Snow fell then because it did Sunday. And regardless of being favored by 3.5 factors each nights, the Pats insisted no person believed in them.
“It’s sort of a giant factor that nobody believed in us,” Christian Gonzalez mentioned. “No person counted on us, counted on us in being in any of those video games.”
As Mike Vrabel stalked the sideline Sunday, what he noticed can solely be described as reminders of the early dynasty days. Days when the Patriots star quarterback completed wins furnished by their protection, which created strain via disguised protection and unique blitzes. Days when the offense unfold the ball round, as Maye did hitting seven completely different receivers towards Houston.
Days when the Patriots have been a soccer staff better than the sum of their expertise, because of a training workers that utilized and empowered gamers in a approach they haven’t been earlier than. As soon as that Invoice Belichick to guys like Vrabel, a backup in Pittsburgh turned franchise Corridor of Famer in New England. Now, it’s Vrabel to Boutte, and defensive linemen like Khyiris Tonga, who had a sack, and Ok’Lavon Chaisson, an edge rusher who additionally notched a sack after setting a number of profession highs throughout the common season.
“Everyone’s stepping up. We’re utilizing all people,” Vrabel mentioned. “Everyone’s making performs. Everyone’s serving to us win.”
The Patriots’ method has modified. After a daily season when Maye undertook a lot of the heavy lifting, their protection can carry them now, and has via two playoff video games. It is a full, scrappy, intelligent, powerful staff.
After all, it helped C.J. Stroud gift-wrapped just a few turnovers like he had forgotten to ship them over the vacations. However there’s getting fortunate, and there’s creating your personal luck, because the Patriots did by blitzing Stroud even after he’d overwhelmed their strain with a second-quarter landing.
“We knew that, on the finish of the day, when it comes all the way down to having solely a four-man rush or three-man rush, (Stroud) can cube defenses up,” Marcus Jones mentioned. “So, our essential factor was to have strain. When it comes all the way down to it, I’m glad that we prompted what we prompted at this time.”
And certainly, so have been the previous legends readily available.
A bit greater than half-hour earlier than kickoff, Vince Wilfork paced his previous sideline. A brief stroll to his proper, Tedy Bruschi sat on a tv set. A couple of minutes later and several other tales larger, Ty Legislation waved to a crowd of acquainted faces from the stadium lighthouse as a visitor of honor.
That they had all gathered to share within the ongoing revival of the franchise they as soon as raised collectively, a revival led by a former teammate constructing one thing new with an previous method.
Now it’s on to Denver, a spot the place none of them, nor Belichick nor Tom Brady, may ever plant their flag within the playoffs. Ideas started to float to the Broncos proper across the two-minute warning, when the Patriots had their second playoff win in hand with two extra rounds to go.
Identical to previous instances, Bon Jovi blared over the loudspeakers. The gang sang.
“Whoa, we’re midway there
Whoa, oh, livin’ on a prayer
Take my hand, we’ll make it, I swear
“Whoa oh, livin’ on a prayer.”
