Like he does after every win, head coach Mike Vrabel greeted every player with a high five on their way to the locker room.

Drake Maye praised wide receiver Kayshon Boutte for his clutch catch to seal the win over Houston.

"He keeps on making plays, making me look good. I'm proud to be able to give him some throws to make a play on it. A one-handed catch, not much else to say about it," Maye said.   

The Patriots know who they're playing and where in the AFC Championship Game. 

New England will face the Broncos at 3 p.m. on Sunday, January 25. The game can be found on CBS stations, including WBZ-TV.

After the game, Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel praised his team, but said they're not satisfied.

 "I'm excited for these guys. But they're also not satisfied. I can tell that. It wasn't pretty. Defense kept us in there. And then when we needed it, our offense was able to come through late in the game there," Vrabel said.  

The Patriots social media team had some fun at the expense of ESPN.

Earlier in the week, the NFL Live crew went viral when it was revealed that they all were picking Houston to win. On Sunday, the Patriots had a simple response on X.

There will be complete coverage after the game in the Boston area on TV38 during Patriots 5th Quarter.

Postgame coverage will include news conferences from head coach Mike Vrabel and quarterback Drake Maye, plus more player reactions from the big game.  

The Patriots are headed to the AFC Championship Game.

New England stopped Houston on a desperation fourth down attempted, then bled out the final seconds to seal a 28-16 win.

The game has reached the two-minute warning as New England has the ball.

The Patriots are two minutes from reaching the AFC Championship Game, holding onto a 28-16 lead.

Cornerback Carlton Davis, who has two interceptions, may be out for what's left of the game.

Davis is questionable to return with a head injury.

Despite starting at their own 4 yard line, the Patriots had a productive drive before having to punt.

New England took about six minutes off the clock before kicking the ball away.

Houston took over down by 12 points with 5:54 to go in the fourth quarter.

Drake Maye had a clutch third down conversion to Stefon Diggs to keep New England's drive alive, allowing them to continue to use clock in the fourth quarter.

Holding onto a 28-16 lead, the Patriots are near midfield as the clock goes under six minutes.

Tremon Smith made a spectacular special teams play to pin the Patriots offense at its own four.

Smith kept the Houston punt out of the end zone with a diving effort. The Texans need a stop trailing by 12.

After a long pass fell incomplete, and the Patriots may have gotten away with a defensive hold, Houston burned its second timeout of the half.

With 12:16 to play, the Texans have just one timeout to use.

On third down, Patriots wide receiver Kayshon Boutte hauled in a spectacular grab to extend New England's lead.

Boutte brought in Drake Maye's pass with one hand and held on as he hit the ground. The play game through the snowflakes at Gillette Stadium.

After Andy Borregales narrowly hit the extra point, the Patriots hold a 28-16 lead with 12:58 left in regulation.

Drake Maye found Austin Hooper for just the seventh first down of the game for New England.

Then on the final play of the quarter, a scrambling Maye was taken down for no gain.

Entering the fourth quarter, the Patriots are clinging to a 21-16 lead.

Houston's latest drive in the third quarter stayed alive thanks to a Carlton Davis defensive pass interference penalty on third down.

The next play, Texans tight end Cade Stover dropped a wide open pass, then Anfernee Jenning sacked C.J. Stroud to set up third down. Jennings was shaken up on the play.

On 3rd and 13, Stroud checked down for five yards. It was a big five yards, as Ka'imi Fairbairn was able to then drill a 51-yard field goal to bring Houston to within 21-16 with 1:32 to play in the third quarter.

New England couldn't take advantage of the fumble they recovered moments earlier.

A run on first down went two yards backwards. The Patriots then ran for four yards before passing for one yard on third down.

Houston fair caught the Bryce Baringer punt on their own 41 with 3:34 left in the third quarter.

Christian Gonzalez made a critical play, with Houston looking to take advantage of Drake Maye's latest fumble and tie the game.

The star cornerback stripped running back Wood Marks as he ran inside the red zone. Craig Woodson, who had an interception earlier, recovered.

New England is clinging to a 21-13 lead.

There have been now eight combined turnovers in the game between the two teams - four interceptions and a fumble by Houston, and one interception to go with two lost fumbles by the Patriots.

Drake Maye fumbled yet again, and the Texans jumped on this one. 

With 8:08 to go in the third quarter, star Texans pass rusher Will Anderson got to Maye as he was trying to throw on 3rd and 6, hitting his hand and knocking the ball loose. Houston recovered at the New England 35.

Anderson now has three sacks and two forced fumbles.

Maye has fumbled four times and lost two. 

After being treated for an eye injury in the first half and deemed questionable to return, Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson returned to the field. 

Stevenson got the handoff on the first Patriots drive of the second half.

The Texans drove all the way down to the Patriots' seven. 

But on 3rd and 2, Houston dropped back to pass and Marcus Jones continued his huge game by breaking up a pass intended for Christian Kirk.

Houston settled for a 25-yard field goal from Ka'imi Fairbairn, cutting the New England lead to 21-13 with 9:45 left in the third quarter. 

The Patriots appeared to have forced another turnover when Christian Gonzalez stripped the ball and Marcus Jones recovered it.

It was originally called a fumble and New England ball, but an expedited review gave Houston the ball back.

Turnovers have been a major storyline so far.

In the first half, the Patriots forced C.J. Stroud to throw four interceptions. That included the one he threw that Marcus Jones returned for a touchdown.

Despite that, the game remains close because New England's offense has struggled.

Drake Maye has fumbled three times. Fortunately, the Patriots recovered two of those.  Maye also threw an interception to end the half on a Hail Mary.

Up by 11 points with two seconds to go in the second quarter, the Patriots tried a Hail Mary before halftime.

Ed Ingram came down with the interception for the Texans and the teams headed into the locker room with the Patriots holding a 21-10 edge.

Drake Maye fumbled once again as Will Anderson knocked the ball loose.

But New England was fortunate to pounce on the ball, escaping disaster as Houston would have been not far from field goal range if they recovered.

The Patriots weren't able to take advantage of the fourth Houston turnover of the game.

New England had a short run, and two incompletions, then punted with 1:03 to go in the half.

Carlton Davis had another huge play for the Patriots secondary.

With the Texans driving and 1:54 to go before halftime, Davis grabbed his second interception of the half as C.J. Stroud attempted to find an outlet along the sideline.

After being checked out for a shoulder injury, Texans running back Woody Marks is back in the game.

Houston got a pass interference call and a long pass play and is driving into Patriots territory at the two-minute warning.

After being checked out for a head injury, safety Craig Woodson has returned to the game.

Veteran wide receiver Stefon Diggs hauled in a 7-yard touchdown on a laser of a throw from Drake Maye.

The Patriots now lead 21-10 with 3:12 to play in the half after Andy Borregales' extra point.

Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson is questionable with an eye injury.

The broadcast noted he has been receiving eye drops, but they are not seeming to work and he has not returned to the game.

Safety Craig Woodson is being evaluated for a head injury that he suffered while attempting to return the interception he had earlier in the game.

The Texans are currently dealing with a pair of key injuries.

Tight end Dalton Schultz has been ruled out with an eye injury. 

Running back Woody Marks is dealing with a shoulder injury and is questionable. 

With 8:37 to go in the second quarter, the Texans turned the ball over again.

Safety Craig Woodson hauled in an interception at the Houston 48-yard line.

The Texans, however, buckled down and did not let the Patriots take advantage. New England had to punt.

Watch as Marcus Jones took C.J. Stroud's pass to the house for a touchdown.

Speedster Marcus Jones found the end zone with 10:31 left in the second quarter on the first play after New England punted. 

The Patriots blitzed, and C.J. Stroud's pass was deflected. Jones snatched the ball and ran it back 26 yards for the touchdown.

New England leads 14-10.

Drake Maye scrambled for one first down, but the Patriots were forced to punt again.

On third down, Maye uncorked one looking for Kyle Williams down the sideline. The ball hit Williams in the hands, but he couldn't bring it in. 

Houston fair caught the punt at their own 25.

Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson was slow to get up early in the second quarter.

The rookie received some attention from trainers, but jogged off under his own power and did not go into the medical tent. 

Wide receiver Christian Kirk beat Patriots cornerback Marcus Jones on third down, and C.J. Stroud found him for a 10-yard touchdown strike near the front pylon. 

As a result, Houston leads 10-7 with 12:51 to play in the second quarter.

Houston tight end Dalton Schultz, who is a key weapon for C.J. Stroud, left in the first quarter with a calf injury.

Schultz went back to the locker room and the team said he is questionable to return.

With one quarter in the books, it is 7-3 Patriots.

Houston has the ball and is threatening in New England territory as the second quarter begins. 

Patriots cornerback Carlton Davis made a spectacular play to bring Houston's next drive to a stop.

C.J. Stroud threw a pass to the sideline, and Davis flew in to pick it off. It didn't look like he caught it at first, but by inches Davis was able to get his knee inbounds.

But two plays later, Drake Maye was lunging forward on a run and had the ball punched out. Houston recovered, giving them the ball back at the Patriots 27.

The Patriots had a near disaster on third down, holding a 7-3 lead.

Drake Maye was trying to uncork a pass, and defensive end Danielle Hunter knocked it loose. It appeared the Texans were about to pounce on the ball and give their offense a prime scoring chance inside the 10-yard line.

Instead, the ball rolled around and Will Campbell eventually recovered the fumble for New England. The Patriots had to punt, giving the Texans the football near midfield.

The Patriots had a chance to seize momentum on defense after taking a 7-0 lead, but on third down the Texans offense found a massive play.

C.J. Stroud felt pressure, but instead of running he found a wide open Dalton Schultz, who ran for 42 two yards down to the Patriots 27-yard line. Houston had another third-down play a short time later, and once again converted. Christian Kirk snagged a pass to move the chains, and a facemask set up first and goal for the Texans.

It appeared Houston converted another third down on the drive, this time for a score as Woody Marks ran in for a touchdown on third and goal from the two. But there was an illegal shift, moving the Texans back. Houston had to settled for a chip shot field goal from Ka'imi Fairbairn, cutting the New England lead to 7-3 with 5:26 left in the first quarter.

After stopping Houston and forcing a punt, the Patriots took over in their own territory. 

Running back Rhamondre Stevenson ran for 20 yards, then took a screen pass nine yards for a first down.

On third down and 13 yards to go, Drake Maye hit Diggs on a crossing route to set up a critical 4th and 1.

Mike Vrabel left his offense on the field at the Houston 28-yard line. The offense made the decision pay off.

Maye found DeMario "Pop" Douglas on a short pass, and Douglas ran it in for a 28-yard score. Andy Borregales hit the extra point to give the Patriots a 7-0 lead with 9:35 left in the opening quarter.

It looked like Houston had an easy first down completion with C.J. Stroud finding an open Christian Kirk.

Instead, Kirk dropped the pass and it was nearly intercepted.

The Texans punted and New England took over on its own 29-yard line.

The first play of the game was a handoff to Rhamondre Stevenson for no gain, followed by an incomplete pass to Hunter Henry.

Drake Maye hit Stefon Diggs for five yards, and the Patriots were forced to punt without gaining a first down.

The AFC divisional round playoff game at Gillette Stadium is officially underway.

Houston won the coin toss and deferred, giving the Patriots the ball to start the game.

Fresh off having his No. 33 jersey raised to the rafters, Bruins legend Zdeno Chara is at Gillette Stadium for some postseason action.

The Patriots shared a video of Chara at field level before the game.

With a buzz inside Gillette Stadium, the Patriots took the field as the minutes tick down to kickoff.

New England players ran out of the tunnel with "Crazy Train" by Black Sabbath blaring. 

The NFL on ESPN crew made their picks as pregame coverage began to wind down Sunday afternoon.

To the surprise of no one, Patriots legends Randy Moss and Tedy Bruschi picked the Patriots, as did Alex Smith. 

Former Patriots nemesis Rex Ryan, who was previously head coach of the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills, was greeted by boos outside of Gillette Stadium as he picked Houston to win, 21-17. Also picking Houston was Mike Greenberg by a 20-16 margin.

Actor Zac Efron is among those in attendance for the game.

The Patriots shared a photo of Efron with owner Robert Kraft, posing while wearing a Super Bowl ring.

With snow falling, the Patriots are on the field for warmups.

Quarterback Drake Maye had a simple message for his teammates earlier, telling them on the field "Just be us."

A family of Patriots fans has one outlier - a young Texans fan.

Four young siblings in Medway, Massachusetts root for the Patriots every week. But their brother is a loud and proud Texans fans.

WBZ-TV's Logan Hall spoke to the family about how they're feeling heading into the game.

Earlier in the week when it came time to reveal their picks, all of the NFL Live crew on ESPN picked Houston.

In a clip that went viral, all five panel members appeared uneasy to learn they'd all gone with the Texans, wondering if that was a sign of an impending Patriots win.

There were no surprises in the inactive list provided by the Patriots, but there was a bit of good news that became official. 

Defensive tackle Khyiris Tonga returns to the lineup for the Patriots after missing several weeks. 

In addition, cornerback Christian Gonzalez is active. He was evaluated for a concussion after the Chargers game but cleared protocol and practiced in full during the week. 

There are a pair of key inactives for the Texans.

Wide receiver Nico Collins, who was previously ruled out with a concussion, will miss the game. 

In a bit of a surprise, right tackle Trent Brown is inactive as well.

Also out for the game are quarterback Graham Mertz, running back Jawhar Jordan, cornerback Alijah Huzzie, and wide receiver Justin Watson.

It's been a difficult storm to forecast, but some snow is expected during the game.

According to the WBZ-TV weather team, flakes will be coming down during the game, with more snow expected later in the game and while fans are driving home.

A few inches of snow are expected to be on the ground by the time the game is over. 

Whichever team wins on Sunday already knows their fate for next week.

The Denver Broncos and Buffalo Bills played the first AFC divisional round game on Saturday, and it was a thriller.

Despite Bo Nix suffering a season-ending injury in overtime, Denver advanced with a 33-30 win. 

As a result, the winner of today's game in Foxboro will play the Broncos in Denver next Sunday with Jarrett Stidham at quarterback in place of the injured Nix.

Former Patriots cornerback Ty Law announced last week on WEEI that he will be this week's "Keeper of the Light."

Before each home game, a noteworthy figure rings the bell atop the Gillette Stadium lighthouse in order to get the crowd fired up.

Last week, it was Patriots Hall of Fame defensive tackle Vince Wilfork who rang the bell before the Chargers game.

The Patriots game is a Monday Night Football crew, despite the game taking place on Sunday afternoon. 

Nationally, the game will air on ESPN, while in Massachusetts, the Patriots-Texans game will be broadcast on WCVB-TV in addition to ESPN. There are also streaming options as well.

Joe Buck and Troy Aikman will have play-by-play and color commentary for the game. Lisa Salters and Laura Rutledge will have sideline reporting duties.