Embarrassing Stat For AFC East Rival Surfaces After Patriots Win

The New England Patriots piled up turnovers in their AFC Divisional Round win over the Houston Texans.

New England is on the precipice of another Super Bowl appearance following Sunday’s 28-16 home victory. While a formidable Texans defense contained the Patriots to 248 yards, Mike Vrabel’s squad prevailed by intercepting C.J. Stroud four times and recovering a Woody Marks fumble.

A reporter noted a stark contrast between the Patriots and an AFC East adversary. ESPN’s Rich Cimini posted during Sunday’s game that the Patriots had more takeaways through three quarters (five) than the New York Jets amassed all season (four).

The Jets became the first team in NFL history to go an entire season without notching a single interception. The Patriots produced four in Sunday’s opening half, picking off Stroud three times in the second quarter.

New England also nearly matched New York’s turnover total by relinquishing three giveaways. Drake Maye lost two fumbles and threw an interception in a sloppy game, but the 23-year-old also tossed three passing touchdowns against the NFL’s No. 1 defense.

Watching Sunday’s AFC showdown must have felt especially cruel to Jets fans. Every other team had at least 10 takeaways this season, but their defense couldn’t force many momentum swings throughout a brutal 3-14 campaign.

The Patriots will make their ninth AFC Championship Game appearance since the Jets lost a conference-title clash to the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2011. They haven’t made the playoffs since, posting just one winning record during the NFL’s longest postseason drought.

New England will play the Denver Broncos this Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on CBS.