Wait, did you catch that? If you're looking for what was the score of the patriots game today, you probably already know the stakes were sky-high. We aren't talking about some mid-October slump against a bottom-feeder team. This is January football. Foxborough. The 2026 AFC Divisional Round.
The New England Patriots entered today, January 18, 2026, facing off against the Houston Texans. After a long regular season where Drake Maye finally looked like "the guy," the pressure at Gillette Stadium was thick enough to cut with a rusty steak knife. People were expecting a defensive grind, but the scoreline tells a much more chaotic story.
The Final Score: Patriots vs. Texans
The New England Patriots took care of business at home, securing a hard-fought 24–17 victory over C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans.
It wasn't pretty. Honestly, for the first twenty minutes, it looked like the Patriots’ offense had stayed in the locker room. But the defense—Mike Vrabel’s "bend-but-don't-break" special—held the line when it mattered most. Houston’s Nico Collins was sidelined, which definitely helped, but you still have to execute. The Patriots did.
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How the Game Actually Went Down
Forget the box score for a second. You've got to understand the vibe of this game to really get why that 24–17 score matters.
The first half was a total snooze-fest. Lots of punts. A few three-and-outs that had the home crowd booing louder than a jet engine. Drake Maye looked a little rattled early on, taking two sacks from Will Anderson Jr. that looked like they hurt. The Texans took a 10–3 lead into the locker room, and things felt... grim.
Then the third quarter happened.
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Maye came out and looked like he’d aged five years in fifteen minutes. He stopped forcing the deep ball and started feeding Rhamondre Stevenson. Stevenson is basically a human bowling ball at this point in the season. He chewed up 45 yards on one drive alone, capped off by a 4-yard plunge that tied it up.
Key Plays That Decided Everything
- The Fumble: Late in the third, the Texans were moving. C.J. Stroud tried to squeeze a pass into a tight window, got hit by Keion White, and the ball popped loose. Patriots recovered. Momentum shifted.
- The Maye-to-Henry Connection: In the fourth quarter, on a 3rd and 9, Maye found Hunter Henry for a 22-yard gain. It wasn't a highlight-reel catch, just a "pro" play. Two plays later, Maye hit DeMario Douglas on a slant for the go-ahead score.
- The Final Stand: Houston had one last shot. With 1:14 left, Stroud marched them to the New England 30. But on 4th down, the Pats’ secondary blanketed everyone. Incomplete. Game over.
Why This Win Changes the Narrative
For a long time, the question was whether the post-Belichick era could actually produce a winner. Vrabel has his detractors. Maye has his doubters. But winning a Divisional Round game at home? That silences a lot of noise.
The Texans aren't some pushover team either. They came in with a massive win streak and a defense that was arguably top-three in the AFC. To put up 24 points on them after a slow start shows some serious grit. It's the kind of "ugly win" that championship teams look back on in February.
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What Happens Next for New England?
Now that the score is settled, the Patriots are officially moving on to the AFC Championship Game.
Depending on the results of the other games, they’ll likely be heading to Denver or hosting a miracle-run Buffalo team. The health of Christian Gonzalez is the big thing to watch now. He went down late in the game, and if that secondary loses its anchor, the AFC Title game becomes a nightmare.
Next Steps for Fans:
- Keep an eye on the injury report for Christian Gonzalez tomorrow morning.
- Check the schedule for next Sunday; the AFC Championship typically kicks off in the early afternoon slot.
- If you're looking for tickets, start refreshing now because Foxborough is going to be a madhouse.
This win proves this isn't the "rebuilding" Patriots team of 2024. They are deep into the hunt now. The score of the patriots game today was just the beginning of what looks like a very long postseason run.