FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Drake Maye threw three touchdown passes, Marcus Jones returned one of C.J. Stroud’s four interceptions for a score and the New England Patriots defeated the Houston Texans 28-16 on Sunday to advance to the AFC championship game for the first time in seven years.

All of this has made them the favorite heading into the game and also helped Texas Monthly’s Dan Solomon formulate a controversial opinion: The Texans, not the Cowboys, are America’s Team. Solomon joined the Standard to defend his hot take. Listen to the interview above or read the transcript below.

Tight end Dalton Schultz suffered a calf injury early in the contest and was listed as questionable. With Nico Collins already out with a concussion, the Texans are now down another weapon. NFL Network's Ian Rapport posted on X that Schultz has now been downgraded to out.

The Dallas Cowboys have long been encumbered by that moniker, and although it has helped them with prime-time scheduling, there’s no strong case to be made that it’s served their team or the nation particularly well.

Now, take note, the 2025 Patriots are a surprisingly good team. Drake Maye is playing at a high level, their defensive tackle tandem are wrecking games and head coach Mike Vrabel is to New England what Demeco Ryans is to Houston: former star player turned into star head coach.

Houston’s home opponents for 2026 are Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Tennessee, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Dallas, the New York Giants and Buffalo. The road opponents will be Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Tennessee, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington, the Los Angeles Chargers and Green Bay.

Latest updates after Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson suffered an eye injury in the divisional round playoff game vs. Houston Texans.

Richard Sherman believes that the Houston Texans defense is good enough to win the game against the New England Patriots.