FOXBOROUGH - While Mike Vrabel was reticent to place too many flowers at the feet of the Houston Texans, their head coach, DeMeco Ryans, had no such issue when talking about the Patriots, in particular, their MVP-level quarterback, Drake Maye.
“I think Drake is doing a really good job of not making bad decisions with the football,” Ryans said. “He’s doing a really good job of utilizing where his players are open, he’s getting those guys the football, and I think Josh (McDaniels) is calling it really well for him to get him easy plays and make good decisions.”
Ryans mentioned Maye’s penchant for finding escape hatches through A and B gaps, no doubt something he’s reminded his players of over and over again in the short week of preparation for Sunday afternoon’s game (the Texans played on Monday night in Pittsburgh). That was something LA Chargers DC Jesse Minter harped on with his group as well, and while there were a number of examples of them muddying the pocket for Maye - and forcing a pair of fumbles - that 37-yard scramble just before the half seemed to be the play that settled the second-year quarterback down (he was 11-of-14 in the second half after a 6-for-15 start).
Could Maye’s legs once again be a difference maker in the Divisional round? Not if Houston can help it.
“Where he’s taking that next step is his ability to escape the pocket, Ryans said. “It really 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.”
What Ryan’s defense has, in addition to the best pass-rushing duo in the league (Will Anderson and Danielle Hunter), is speed at all three levels of the defense. They trigger quickly and swarm to the football.
“They're violent. They're very physical,” McDaniels said. “This is probably the fastest group we've seen all year at all three levels. They run really, really well. The holes that you may have, they won't be there long, whether that's in a running game or anything you find in the secondary. You know, that's going to be tight.
“You're going to have to drive the football. There's not a whole lot of easy opportunities. You're going to need to convert some third downs and certainly take care of the football, because they do an incredible job of taking it away.”
“They got a knack for the ball from the top to bottom, from the corners to the safeties," added Stefon Diggs. "I spent some time there myself (Diggs played for Houston last season). So, I’m a little bit familiar with those guys. I wouldn’t say I know them like the back of my hand. But they just aggressive. They play the ball when they see it.”
Considering Maye will have the football in his hands on just about every snap, he will not only have to protect the football, but also protect himself and, when he’s throwing teammates open, them as well.
“Those guys, especially the linebacker level, they're going to try to take your head off, and respect them for it,” Maye said. “They do it at a really high level. They tackle the ball carrier hard, and they'll punish them, and they'll make you pay for it. So, I’ve got to have a good deal about and a good feel about when to take chances and when to be smart because the linebackers are good, and they do a good job of delivering some big-time hits. So, that's this league, knowing to protect myself and try to be good.”
“He knows the priority,” McDaniels said. “He knows the importance of taking care of the football, and ending every drive with some form of a kick would be ideal for us this week. He understands that, so I trust him implicitly to do the right thing for our football team. I know he's prepared.”
Maye is not likely to be fooled all that much by what he’ll see from the Texans. Per Sumer Sports, they disguised coverage just 21% of the time, one of the lowest numbers in the league. As I wrote yesterday, and Vrabel confirmed, Houston has a do-what-they-do defense, at least on early downs. That’s how the quarterback sees it as well.
“Well, the thing about the Texans is what they do; they're good at it,” he said. “They're really good at it. They do it a lot. They’ve got different ways. They play some man coverage. They play some zone. They’ve got eyes on the quarterback. They’ve got eyes on creating turnovers. Their guys in the back end are great at getting their hands on the football and catching it when there’s somebody throwing it.
“I think for us, offensively, just try to stay ahead of the chains. Scheme-wise, just do things that we're good at and try to find a way every week to scheme something up if we see it, but at the same time, just try to stay ahead of the chains and know what type of game it is.”
But just because the Texans don’t delve deep into the exotic looks doesn’t mean this will be an easy defense to play against, as we’ve illustrated. They’ve only surrendered 20 or more points in six of their 18 games, and squeezed the life out of the Steelers in the opening round of the playoffs.
“It’s the best one we’ve played all year,” McDaniels said.
The tape backs that up. Now it’s up to the offensive coordinator to give his young QB as many answers as possible, and trust that he’ll keep making plays, as he has all year.