To Boutte’s point, Houston doesn’t disguise things or run a lot of overly complex blitzes compared to most other teams. The Texans are stacked with playmakers at multiple levels, allowing them to team up and win without the need for extra bells and whistles.
Anchored by Will Anderson Jr.’s passing rush. and Danielle Hunter, the NFL’s leading duo with 153 combined pressures, Houston used a four-man rush on 75.8 percent of plays this season, according to Next Generation Stats. That’s the third-highest percentage in the league, as is the team’s 38 sacks in non-blinking games.
During the Texans’ nine-game hitting streak to end the regular season, they shot 31.8% of the time, 10th in the league during that stretch. The skill set of cornerbacks like Derek Stingley Jr., who didn’t give up more than 45 yards in coverage in any game during that time frame, allows for a greater reliance on the secondary one-on-one, as does a physical defense.
“I think they’re just physical cornerbacks,” Boutte said. “But at the end of the day, I’m also physical. So it’s a matchup I like any day of the week.”
“Derek Stingley, good cornerback. Played against him in college last year too, but I’m looking forward to the matchup.”
Although Boutte is confident, quarterback Drake Maye will still have to deal with beating a man better than he did in the wild card win over the Los Angeles Chargers. He threw for just 7 yards on 1-of-7 passing last weekend when facing man coverage, and he’ll likely need to make quick decisions against Houston’s rush.
Ultimately, it will come down to strength vs. strength, with New England’s No. 2 scoring offense matching Houston’s scoring defense.
And lest Boutte’s comments about preparing for Houston be misconstrued as bulletin board material, he gave the defensive group its flowers.
“Of course, [Houston has] good unit,” he said. “No. 1 seat defense, whatever you want to say. But I mean, we’re a good offense, too. We are not going to belittle ourselves. Just keep doing the same things we’ve been doing, honestly.”
Whether the team comes out on top will be determined when the Patriots host the Texans on Sunday at 3:00 PM ET.