Josh McDaniels set a clear objective for Drake Maye as the New England Patriots prepare for their AFC Divisional Round game against the Houston Texans.
New England’s offensive coordinator expressed confidence in Maye avoiding turnovers against a stout Houston defense this Sunday, via WEEI.
“He knows the priority. He knows the importance of taking care of the football,” McDaniels said on Thursday. “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.”
DeMeco Ryans’ top-ranked defense is one of the NFL’s best units at creating big plays. The Texans garnered the third-most takeaways (29) during the regular season before converting two Aaron Rodgers turnovers into touchdowns in a first-round win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Maye threw just eight interceptions this season without losing a single fumble, but he didn’t demonstrate the same ball security in his playoff debut. The 23-year-old surrendered a goal-line interception and lost one of two fumbles during a 16-3 win over the Los Angeles Chargers.
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While the Chargers didn’t capitalize on either takeaway, the Patriots can’t count on that same result against a Texans squad averaging 26.6 points per game over an active 10-game winning streak. Turnovers could cost New England a spot in the AFC Championship Game in a potentially low-scoring matchup with the weekend’s lowest over/under line (40.5).
The Patriots and Texans kick off Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on ABC and ESPN.
Featured image via Bob DeChiara/Imagn Images
