The performance of their wide receiver group has been one of the pleasant surprises of the New England Patriots’ 2025 season, and in the divisional playoff round it looked good once again. Kayshon Boutte and Stefon Diggs again led the way, with the former catching three passes for 75 yards and a touchdown and the latter hauling in four passes for 40 yards and a score.
Pending Mack Hollins’ return from injured reserve, Boutte and Diggs were the clear top duo on the depth chart against the Houston Texans. They were not the only wideouts to make their impact felt, though: DeMario Douglas maximized his opportunities as well.
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The fifth option on the depth chart in terms of snaps, Douglas played 17 of 65 possible snaps (26%). And yet, his 2.57 yards per route run finished only behind Boutte’s 2.59 on the day: he hauled in both of his targets for a combined 36 yards, including a 28-yard touchdown on a 4th-and-1 in the first quarter.
Douglas has been a package player throughout the season, and through 19 games ranks seventh on the team with 34 receptions. He did, however, score four combined touchdowns gain 486 yards. His 1.89 yards per route run and 14.3 yards per catch are second and third, respectively, among the team’s regular pass catchers, showing how he has made the most of a comparatively limited role.
“That just goes back to training camp, goes back to the OTAs,” said head coach Mike Vrabel on Monday. “Pop has really done a nice job in being ready to go. And I know that, like every other receiver, they wish that they had more snaps and they wish they had more targets. By taking advantage of the ones that he gets, which he has done, we have to continue to find ways to get him to the football and have him help us. So, I think that that’s just a confidence that’s been built up through training camp and the offseason.”
Here is our full snap count report from the Patriots’ 28-16 win at Gillette Stadium.
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Offense
Total snaps: 65 | Time on the field: 30:37 | *denotes starter
QB Drake Maye* (65; 100%), LT Will Campbell* (65; 100%), LG Jared Wilson* (65; 100%), C Garrett Bradbury* (65; 100%), RG Mike Onwenu* (65; 100%), RT Morgan Moses* (63; 97%), WR Kayshon Boutte* (54; 83%), TE Hunter Henry* (47; 72%), RB Rhamondre Stevenson* (40; 62%), WR Stefon Diggs* (36; 55%), RB TreVeyon Henderson (25; 38%), FB/TE Jack Westover* (23; 35%), WR Kyle Williams (22; 34%), WR Efton Chism III (22; 34%), TE Austin Hooper (22; 34%), WR DeMario Douglas (17; 26%), OT/TE Thayer Munford Jr. (17; 26%), DT/FB Khyiris Tonga (2; 3%)
The Patriots relied on their usual personnel against Houston, with the expected top options at the skill positions all leading their respective groups. In Rhamondre Stevenson’s case, that might come as a surprise given that he missed time in the first half with an eye injury. However, he ultimately returned and ended up out-snapping fellow running back TreVeyon Henderson 40 to 25.
In front of the two backs, the Patriots had their starting five available for a second straight game. Morgan Moses was slow to get up after a lost fumble in the third quarter, but he eventually ended up not missing any meaningful snaps; the only two he missed came on the game’s final pair of kneel-downs.
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While on the topic of blockers, defensive tackle Khyiris Tonga made his return to the fullback spot. Tonga, who had missed the previous three games with a foot injury, played two snaps to bring his season total at the position to 16
Backup offensive tackle Thayer Munford Jr, meanwhile, played 17 snaps on the day; besides filling in for Moses on those kneel-downs, he also was employed in his traditional role as a sixth blocker up front. Surprisingly, though, a majority of those snaps came on the game’s final two drives. In fact, over the first three quarters and despite Houston’s edge rushers creating some serious problem for the offense, Munford Jr. played only two snaps in that capacity.
Defense
Total snaps: 75 | Time on the field: 26:11 | *denotes starter
S Jaylinn Hawkins* (75; 100%), CB Christian Gonzalez* (74; 99%), LB Robert Spillane* (70; 93%), S Craig Woodson* (70; 93%), CB Carlton Davis III* (61; 81%), CB Marcus Jones (58; 77%), ED K’Lavon Chaisson (53; 71%), DT Christian Barmore* (52; 69%), DT Milton Williams* (52; 69%), ED Anfernee Jennings* (42; 56%), LB Christian Elliss (40; 53%), DT Cory Durden* (36; 48%), ED Elijah Ponder (30; 40%), DT Khyiris Tonga (29; 39%), LB Jack Gibbens* (18; 24%), DT Leonard Taylor III (14; 19%), LB/ED Jahlani Tavai* (14; 19%), CB Charles Woods (13; 17%), ED Harold Landry III (11; 15%), S Dell Pettus (11; 15%), LB Chad Muma (1; 1%), LB Marte Mapu (1; 1%)
New England’s defense played another very good game on Sunday, and it did so despite some extensive exposure. The final snap number of 75 is the highest the unit has had to play this year, topping the previous mark of 70 set in Week 15 against the Buffalo Bills.
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Out of the 22 defenders used by the Patriots, however, only one went wire-to-wire: safety Jaylinn Hawkins, who also played four snaps in the kicking game, did not leave the field against Houston. The rest of the team’s top defense all were given some time off, either due to packages, situations or — in the case of cornerback Carlton Davis, among others — injuries.
Speaking of injuries, starting edge defender Harold Landry entered the game as questionable with a knee issue that has plagued him for most of the second half of the season. While active, he had a comparatively quiet day and finished with 11 snaps as well as a pair of tackles. With him limited, Anfernee Jennings, Elijah Ponder and Jahlani Tavai all factored into the edge mix alongside K’Lavon Chaisson. In fact, Jennings and Tavai were the starters, with the former in particular continuing his strong run.
As for the aforementioned Khyiris Tonga, he played 29 defensive snaps in his return. The fourth member of the rotation behind starters Christian Barmore and Milton Williams as well as Cory Durden, Tonga had a solid game: besides two tackles, he also registered a sack and two extra quarterback hits.
Special teams
Total snaps: 31 | Time on the field: 3:12
S Brenden Schooler (27; 87%), S Dell Pettus (25; 81%), ED Elijah Ponder (22; 71%), LB Jack Gibbens (22; 71%), LB Jahlani Tavai (22; 71%), LB Chad Muma (22; 71%), FB Jack Westover (20; 65%), LB/PP Marte Mapu (18; 58%), CB Charles Woods (16; 52%), LB Christian Elliss (13; 42%), CB Alex Austin (13; 42%), P/H Bryce Baringer (12; 39%), LS Julian Ashby (12; 39%), ED Anfernee Jennings (10; 32%), TE Austin Hooper (9; 29%), DT Cory Durden (9; 29%), K Andy Borregales (9; 29%), WR/KR Efton Chism III (6; 19%), RB/KR D’Ernest Johnson (5; 16%), DT Christian Barmore (5; 16%), DT Leonard Taylor III (5; 16%), ED K’Lavon Chaisson (5; 16%), CB/PR Marcus Jones (5; 16%), OT Thayer Munford Jr. (4; 13%), OT Vederian Lowe (4; 13%), OL Jared Wilson (4; 13%), OL Mike Onwenu (4; 13%), OL Ben Brown (4; 13%), S Jaylinn Hawkins (4; 13%), WR/KR Kyle Williams (2; 6%), S Craig Woodson (2; 6%), TE Hunter Henry (1; 3%)
The Patriots have one of the best punt returners of all time in the fold, but their kickoff return spot remains a work in progress. Against the Texans, three players were used with none of them truly standing out. D’Ernest Johnson averaged 23.5 yards on two returns, with Kyle Williams and Efton Chism gaining 22 and 20, respectively, on their lone runbacks.
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When it comes to the core-four units, six players were employed on all of them. Besides captain Brenden Schooler, the quintet of Dell Pettus, Elijah Ponder, Jack Gibbens, Chad Muma and Marte Mapu also appeared on all four return and coverage teams.
Did not play
As he has for most of the season, backup quarterback Joshua Dobbs remained on the bench throughout the contest. In fact, Sunday marked the 15th time this year that he did not see the field.
Inactive
QB3 Tommy DeVito, TE C.J. Dippre, OT Marcus Bryant, OL Caedan Wallace, DT Eric Gregory, ED Bradyn Swinson, CB Kobee Minor
The Patriots had all available hands on deck against the Texans, including defensive tackle Khyiris Tonga and cornerback Alex Austin. With the two back in the fold, their previous replacements on the game day roster, Eric Gregory and Kobee Minor, were off to the inactives list. They joined five other healthy scratches whose inactivity is a reflection of their standing on the roster.
